From a literature review to a conceptual framework for sustainable supply chain management

Information systems in supply chain integration and management

Kaizen: The key to Japan‚s competitive success

The mechanisms of fatigue-crack propagation are examined with particular emphasis on the similarities and differences between cyclic crack growth in ductile materials, such as metals, and corresponding behavior in brittle materials, such as intermetallics and ceramics. This is achieved by considering the process of fatigue-crack growth as a mutual competition between intrinsic mechanisms of crack advance ahead of the crack tip (e.g., alternating crack-tip blunting and resharpening), which promote crack growth, and extrinsic mechanisms of crack-tip shielding behind the tip (e.g., crack closure and bridging), which impede it. The widely differing nature of these mechanisms in ductile and brittle materials and their specific dependence upon the alternating and maximum driving forces (e.g., ΔK andK
 max) provide a useful distinction of the process of fatigue-crack propagation in different classes of materials; moreover, it provides a rationalization for the effect of such factors as load ratio and crack size. Finally, the differing susceptibility of ductile and brittle materials to cyclic degradation has broad implications for their potential structural application; this is briefly discussed with reference to lifetime prediction.

Mechanisms of fatigue-crack propagation in ductile and brittle solids

Awareness and use of agile methods has grown rapidly among the information systems development (ISD) community in recent years. Like most previous methods, the development and promotion of these methods have been almost entirely driven by practitioners and consultants, with little participation from the research community during the early stages of evolution. While these methods are now the focus of more and more research efforts, most studies are still based on XP, Scrum, and other industry-driven foundations, with little or no conceptual studies of ISD agility in existence. As a result, this study proposes that there are a number of significant conceptual shortcomings with agile methods and the associated literature in its current state, including a lack of clarity, theoretical glue, parsimony, limited applicability, and naivety regarding the evolution of the concept of agility in fields outside systems development. Furthermore, this has significant implications for practitioners, rendering agile method comparison and many other activities very difficult, especially in instances such as distributed development and large teams that are not conducive to many of the commercial agile methods. This study develops a definition and formative taxonomy of agility in an ISD context, based on a structured literature review of agility across a number of disciplines, including manufacturing and management where the concept originated, matured, and has been applied and tested thoroughly over time. The application of the texonomy in practice is then demonstrated through a series of thought trials conducted in a large multinational organization. The intention is that the definition and taxonomy can then be used as a starting point to study ISD method agility regardless of whether the method is XP or Scrum, agile or traditional, complete or fragmented, out-of-the-box or in-house, used as is or tailored to suit the project context.

https://ulir.ul.ie/bitstream/handle/10344/574/L%201.pdf;sequence=2

Agility from First Principles: Reconstructing the Concept of Agility in Information Systems Development

Describes the process for conducting downward price business‐to‐business online auctions over the Internet for direct material purchasing and presents common issues, process improvement opportunities, and the interpretation of auction results. Comparisons are made between online auctions and traditional procurement process. Also discussed are stakeholder reactions and the organizational issues generated when online auctions are introduced to traditional purchasing organizations, as well as the benefits to buyers and sellers. The author proposes that online auctions will delay the adoption of modern supply chain management methods and the implementation of lean production that are needed by both buyers and suppliers in order to truly eliminate waste and reduce total costs.

Business‐to‐business online auctions: key issues for purchasing process improvement

Purpose – To examine why most Lean transformations achieve only modest favorable results, despite years of effort.Design/methodology/approach – Comparative/evaluative discussion of efforts made by senior managers to implement the Lean management system, with commentary on a published example.Findings – Presents common obstacles and identifies common implementation errors that must be avoided in order to realize the full benefits of the Lean management system.Research limitations/implications – Illustrates the ease by which Lean transformation efforts can lead to less desirable outcomes when senior managers fail to fully grasp the implicit and explicit aspects of both task and behavioral elements of a new management system.Practical implications – Provides specific suggestions that will enable senior managers and organizations to achieve improved outcomes.Originality/value – Identifies numerous common errors made by senior managers, the rationale for why the errors have occurred, and suggests improvements ...

Leaders lost in transformation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a historical account of the significant role that Connecticut businesses and business leaders had in the spread of Lean management throughout the USA. The paper aims to describe what happens when managers do not understand and apply an important principle of Lean management.Design/methodology/approach – Survey of published and unpublished records, as well as personal communications with key figures.Findings – Establishes the role and importance of Connecticut businesses and business leaders in the discovery and dissemination of Lean management in America since 1979, external to Toyota and its affiliated suppliers.Research limitations/implications – The accuracy of some past events necessarily relies on the recollection of key figures that were obtained by personal communications.Practical implications – Describes how an important principle, “respect for people,” was not understood by most management practitioners, thus hindering efforts to correctly practi...

/pdf/origins-of-lean-management-in-america-the-role-of-2m7ebw95mv.pdf

Origins of lean management in America: The role of Connecticut businesses

The current interest in tough, high-temperature materials has motivated fiber coating development for brittle-matrix composites with brittle reinforcements. Such coatings are needed for controlled interface debonding and frictional sliding. The system investigated in this study was sapphire fiber-reinforced alumina. This system is thermochemically stable for severe use conditions, exhibits little thermal expansion mismatch, and utilizes the excellent strength and creep resistance of sapphire reinforcements. Porous oxide and refractory metal coatings which satisfy requirements for toughness improvement in these composites were identified by employing a variety of newly developed mechanical testing techniques for determining the interfacial fracture energies and sliding resistances.

Fiber Coating Concepts for Brittle-Matrix Composites

Describes the application of lean principles and practices to the design and delivery of a graduate business course on leadership taken by part‐time working professional students in a classroom setting. The principal objectives were to improve consistency between what was taught in the course and how the course was taught, eliminate waste, improve the quality and relevance of course materials, and deliver greater value as perceived by students. Results indicate a higher level of student satisfaction, in part through clearer expectations, less ambiguity regarding lectures and assignments, standard formats for assignments, smoothing individual and team assignments over the semester, and better management of students' time both in and outside class. This joins a growing body of work that demonstrates the applicability of lean principles and practices to service businesses, and the achievement of improved outcomes.

M.L. Emiliani

Papers

Business‐to‐business online auctions: key issues for purchasing process improvement

Leaders lost in transformation

Origins of lean management in America: The role of Connecticut businesses

Fiber Coating Concepts for Brittle-Matrix Composites

Improving business school courses by applying lean principles and practices