Nallan C. Suresh

Bio: Nallan C. Suresh is an academic researcher from University at Buffalo. The author has contributed to research in topics: Cellular manufacturing & Group technology. The author has an hindex of 33, co-authored 62 publications receiving 3605 citations. Previous affiliations of Nallan C. Suresh include State University of New York System & Florida Gulf Coast University.

An empirical investigation of the impact of strategic sourcing and flexibility on firm's supply chain agility

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate two potentially key drivers of a firm's supply chain agility, namely strategic sourcing and firm's strategic flexibility. Despite some theoretical and conceptual works suggesting that some elements of these two constructs may relate to agility, this has not yet been assessed together empirically. This study aims to address this gap in the literature.Design/methodology/approach – This study involves an empirical investigation of a theory‐based model based on the competence‐capability framework, and a dynamic capabilities theoretical perspective, where the internal competencies of strategic sourcing and firm's strategic flexibility relate to the dynamic capability of the firm's supply chain agility. This investigation also includes the testing of a possible mediation effect of firm's strategic flexibility on the relationship between strategic sourcing and the firm's supply chain agility. The model is tested utilizing data from 144 US manufacturing firms ...

Machine-component cell formation in group technology : a neural network approach

Abstract: SUMMARY This paper presents a neural network clustering method for the part-machine grouping problem in group technology. Among the several neural networks, a Carpenter-Grossberg network is selected due to the fact that this clustering method utilizes binary-valued inputs and it can be trained without supervision. It is shown that this adaptive leader algorithm offers the capability of handling large, industry-size data sets due to the computational efficiency. The algorithm was tested on three data sets from prior literature, and solutions obtained were found to result in block diagonal forms. Some solutions were also found to be identical to solutions presented by others. Experiments on larger data sets, involving 10000 parts by 100 machine types, revealed that the method results in the identification of clusters with fast execution times. If a block diagonal structure existed in the input data, it was identified to a good degree of perfection. It was also found to be efficient with some imperfections i...

Coping with the Loss of Pooling Synergy in Cellular Manufacturing Systems

Abstract: The conversion of a functional layout into a cellular manufacturing system involves the partitioning of several multiserver work centers. The loss of pooling synergy in this process can be significant, and this paper investigates the impact of several measures to overcome the adverse effects on flow time, work-in-process inventory and machine utilization. These can be alleviated to a certain extent through reductions in setup times and lot sizes that has been traditionally emphasized in group technology, but a more concerted effort is required. Analytical models are first utilized to investigate the extent to which these adverse effects can be overcome through 1 reduction in setup time, 2 lot sizing, 3 reduction in the variability of process-times and job arrivals, and, 4 reduction in processing times through productivity improvements, all arising from part family-oriented processing. These insights are verified through a simulation comparison of five cellular manufacturing systems with a functional layout system in which optimal lot sizes, low move times and a part family-oriented scheduling rule are used.

Strategic Sourcing: An Empirical Investigation of the Concept and Its Practices in U.S. Manufacturing Firms

Abstract: SUMMARY The purpose of this study is to enhance understanding of strategic sourcing and to discuss the challenges in adopting strategic sourcing. First, a literature review is undertaken to identify the key, characterizing elements of strategic sourcing. This is followed by an analysis of the relationships between different elements of strategic sourcing using data from 140 U.S. manufacturing companies. Results indicate that strategic sourcing is based on the status of the purchasing function within the firm, the level of internal coordination of purchasing with other functions within the firm, information sharing with key suppliers and development of key suppliers.

Out of the Crisis

Abstract: According to W. Edwards Deming, American companies require nothing less than a transformation of management style and of governmental relations with industry. In Out of the Crisis, originally published in 1982, Deming offers a theory of management based on his famous 14 Points for Management. Management's failure to plan for the future, he claims, brings about loss of market, which brings about loss of jobs. Management must be judged not only by the quarterly dividend, but by innovative plans to stay in business, protect investment, ensure future dividends, and provide more jobs through improved product and service. In simple, direct language, he explains the principles of management transformation and how to apply them.

The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields (Chinese Translation)

Abstract: What makes organizations so similar? We contend that the engine of rationalization and bureaucratization has moved from the competitive marketplace to the state and the professions. Once a set of organizations emerges as a field, a paradox arises: rational actors make their organizations increasingly similar as they try to change them. We describe three isomorphic processes-coercive, mimetic, and normative—leading to this outcome. We then specify hypotheses about the impact of resource centralization and dependency, goal ambiguity and technical uncertainty, and professionalization and structuration on isomorphic change. Finally, we suggest implications for theories of organizations and social change.

Flexibility in Manufacturing: A Survey

Abstract: This article is an attempt to survey the vast literature on flexibility in manufacturing that has accumulated over the last 10 to 20 years. The survey begins with a brief review of the classical literature on flexibility in economics and organization theory, which provides a background for manufacturing flexibility. Several kinds of flexibilities in manufacturing are then defined carefully along with their purposes, the means to obtain them, and some suggested measurements and valuations. Then we examine the interrelationships among the several flexibilities. Various empirical studies and analytical/optimization models dealing with these flexibilities are reported and discussed. The article concludes with suggestions for some possible future research directions.

On making causal claims : A review and recommendations

Abstract: Social scientists often estimate models from correlational data, where the independent variable has not been exogenously manipulated; they also make implicit or explicit causal claims based on these models. When can these claims be made? We answer this question by first discussing design and estimation conditions under which model estimates can be interpreted, using the randomized experiment as the gold standard. We show how endogeneity – which includes omitted variables, omitted selection, simultaneity, common-method variance, and measurement error – renders estimates causally uninterpretable. Second, we present methods that allow researchers to test causal claims in situations where randomization is not possible or when causal interpretation could be confounded; these methods include fixed-effects panel, sample selection, instrumental variable, regression discontinuity, and difference-in-differences models. Third, we take stock of the methodological rigor with which causal claims are being made in a social sciences discipline by reviewing a representative sample of 110 articles on leadership published in the previous 10 years in top-tier journals. Our key finding is that researchers fail to address at least 66% and up to 90% of design and estimation conditions that make causal claims invalid. We conclude by offering 10 suggestions on how to improve non-experimental research.