Zaza Nadja Lee Hansen

Viewing engineering offshoring in a network perspective: addressing and managing risks

Purpose – Companies are increasingly engaged with global engineering networks through offshoring of product development activities from R&D to production. This creates many new challenges as operations get physically and culturally decoupled. The purpose of this paper is to improve understanding of how to effectively manage engineering offshoring activities in a context of global engineering networks. The main research question, therefore, is: “Can offshoring of engineering tasks be explained and managed using the concept of Global Engineering Networks (GEN)?” Effective approaches to handling the associated risks of engineering offshoring will be a key area of the investigation.Design/methodology/approach – The research approach is based on the engineering design research methodology developed by Blessing and Chakrabarti, including a descriptive phase and a prescriptive phase. Four case studies of large multinational corporations in Denmark were carried out. Data gathering was mainly documentary studies a...

Global product development: the impact on the product development process and how companies deal with it

This paper investigates the impacts companies have experienced as a result of globalising their product development process, and how they have been addressed. Data was collected through case studies of Danish multinational corporations. This paper presents a unique look into global product development through an investigation of its impact on the organisation, the product development process, and the product. Furthermore, it shows the solutions companies employ to minimise the risks of globalisation and the limitations of these solutions. Finally, this paper provides information on the likely causes for these limitations, and suggests how these can be addressed.

Restructuring of workflows to minimise errors via stochastic model checking: An automated evolutionary approach

Abstract This paper presents a framework for the automated restructuring of stochastic workflows to reduce the impact of faults. The framework allows for the modelling of workflows by means of a formalised subset of the BPMN workflow language. We extend this modelling formalism to describe faults and incorporate an intention preserving stochastic semantics able to model both probabilistic- and non-deterministic behaviour. Stochastic model checking techniques are employed to generate the state-space of a given workflow. Possible improvements obtained by restructuring are measured by employing the framework׳s capacity for tracking real-valued quantities associated with states and transitions of the workflow. The space of possible restructurings of a workflow is explored by means of an evolutionary algorithm, where the goals for improvement are defined in terms of optimising quantities, typically employed to model resources, associated with a workflow. The approach is fully automated and only the modelling of the production workflows, potential faults and the expression of the goals require manual input. We present the design of a software tool implementing this framework and explore the practical utility of this approach through an industrial case study in which the risk of production failures and their impact are reduced by restructuring the workflow.

Integrating product design into the supply chain

Abstract Purpose: The aim of the research is to illustrate how companies can create competitive capabilities through integration of product design into the supply chain. In doing so the paper reveals the challenges and the opportunities that companies face when integrating product design and supply chain. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research is case based and focuses on six companies. Ten interviews were carried out in each of these with senior managers. The Resource-Based View (RBV) is utilised to put these empirical findings into a theoretical context. Findings: The findings reveal a range of opportunities and challenges when integrating product design and the supply chain and subsequently a step-by-step guide is developed to address these. Practical Implications: The research provides key recommendations to companies on how to create competitive capabilities by integrating product design into the supply chain. Originality/Value: This paper provides novel insights to both practitioners and researchers. For practitioners detailed recommendations are given on how they can maximise benefits through integrating product design into the supply chain. The RBV has been harnessed to highlight how integration needs to be balanced with the company’s current resources and capabilities.

Connecting engineering operations to strategic management: a framework for decision making in engineering offshoring

This paper investigates the implications for management and engineering functions and strategies when the product development process is globalised. Five case studies of Danish multinational corporations were conducted. The findings showed that offshoring engineering presented companies with challenges to both management and engineering. These challenges are addressed by management at the operational level. However, this resulted in both positive and negative impacts. We propose this is because there is a decoupling between global engineering operations and the strategic level of the organisation. The Global Decision-Making (GDM) framework described here is a decision-making framework for engineering offshoring decisions for product development activities. The framework proposes that risks in engineering offshoring can be reduced by connecting engineering operations to strategic management. This paper, built upon empirical data, provides a framework wherein to view engineering offshoring which both strengthens the academic field and responds to the needs of practitioners.

Mentorship of expatriates in transnational companies

Purpose - – Due to a number of reported failures of expatriation assignments, a growing body of literature is exploring the possible roles of mentors in supporting expatriates in critical phases while working in another culture. The purpose of this paper is to expand upon the research of mentoring based on a literature review and an empirical study of mentoring expatriates in three transnational companies. Design/methodology/approach - – This paper is based on findings from three case companies based in Denmark. In total, 37 semi-structured interviews were conducted with expatriates, managers and vice presidents at the three home organizations and their subsidiaries. Findings - – Several empirical studies, including the study presented in this paper, indicate that ethnocentrism in the home-company is a main constraint for cross-cultural learning mediated by the expatriates. It is suggested that the HR department in the home-company should create specialized professional training programs and recruit employees with practical knowledge about expatriation. However, personal and relational mentoring should be conducted by experienced and motivated individuals who are supported and recognized, but not controlled, by the HR department. Research limitations/implications - – This research is focused on Danish companies and further research is needed to test the theories in other cultural settings. Practical implications - – This research can help companies and expatriates gain a more successful expatriation period. Originality/value - – The value and role of mentorship is detailed from a theoretical and practical perspective, which adds to the body of literature on expatriates and mentorship.

Combining or separating forward and reverse logistics

Purpose While forward logistics handles and manages the flow of goods downstream in the supply chain from suppliers to customers, reverse logistics (RL) manages the flow of returned goods upstream. A firm can combine RL with forward logistics, keep the flows separated, or choose a position between the two extremes. The purpose of this paper is to identify the contextual factors that determine the most advantageous position, which the paper refers to as the most advantageous degree of combination. Design/methodology/approach The paper first develops a scale ranging from 0 percent combination to 100 percent combination (i.e. full separation). Second, using the contingency theory the paper identifies the contextual factors described in RL-literature that determine the most advantageous degree of combination. The set of factors is subsequently tested using a case study, which applies a triangulation approach that combines a qualitative and a quantitative method. Findings The results show six distinct contextual factors that determine the most advantageous degree of combination. Examples of factors are technical product complexity, product portfolio variation, and the loss of product value over time. Practical implications For practitioners the scale of possible positions and set of contextual factors constitute a decision-making framework. Using the framework practitioners can determine the most advantageous position of the scale for their firm. Originality/value Much RL-research addresses intra-RL issues while the relationship between forward and RL is under-researched. This paper contributes to RL theory by identifying the contextual factors that determine the most advantageous relationship between forward and RL, and proposes a novel decision-making framework for practitioners.

A framework for international location decisions for manufacturing firms

The purpose of this paper is to address current shortcomings in international location decisions (ILD), which were identified through an exploratory study, by developing a model that addresses previous limitations in research and encapsulate an adequate theories and frameworks. Based on insights from an exploratory study on 17 Danish manufacturing firms and a literature review of over a 100 publications, the scope model was developed with the MECE principles in mind in order to encompass all aspects as identified, while being supplemented by adequate tools and models in different phases of the ILD process. This paper presents an application-oriented model for facilitating ILDs in manufacturing firms, which is unique in its way of being exhaustive and yet able to decompose the ILD problem in different aspects and abstraction levels to assist firms in balancing and aligning their efforts with strategic goals and organizational values.

Inventory centralization decision framework for spare parts

Within the current literature, there is a lack of a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to managing spare parts and their inventory configuration. This paper addresses this research gap by examining the key contextual factors which influence the degree of inventory centralization and proposes a novel holistic theoretical framework, the Inventory Centralization Decision Framework (ICDF), useful for practitioners. Through an extensive review of inventory management literature, six contextual factors influencing the degree of inventory centralization have been identified. Using the ICDF practitioners can assess the most advantageous inventory configuration of spare parts. The framework is tested on a large global company which, as a result, today actively uses the ICDF; thus showing its practical applicability.

A framework for operational due diligence

Operational due diligence is an essential step in the purchase decision process when mergers and acquisition (M&A) practitioners assess whether a target company can realize future performance expectations. The aim of this paper is to strengthen the current research on operational due diligence and provide practitioners with a conceptual approach to perform successful operational due diligence. Empirical data was collected through explorative case studies with five private equity firms (acquirers) and six advisory firms (representing target companies) using semi-structured interviews and documentation. 140 past M&A cases were used as the empirical data material. Findings were validated through follow-up interviews and an explorative survey. The framework was validated through three workshops with practitioners. This paper presents six groups of operational drivers which have a direct influence on the operational part of an acquisition decision: (1) People and Organization, (2) Information Technology and Systems, (3) Costs and Capital, (4) Scalability, (5), Potentials and (6) Risk. Despite increasing numbers of M&As and the low success rate of these endeavors, very little research has focused on operational due diligence. This paper addresses this gap by presenting an operational due diligence framework useful for practitioners.