Ran Bhamra

Bio: Ran Bhamra is an academic researcher from Loughborough University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Supply chain & Resilience (network). The author has an hindex of 12, co-authored 28 publications receiving 1316 citations.

Resilience: the concept, a literature review and future directions

Abstract: In an ever-more interconnected world (social, technological and environmental), no organisation can retain a competitive position and survive disruptions as an independent entity. This article provides a review of resilience literature in its widest context and later its application at an organisational level context. The origins of the concept are reported and consequently, the various fields of research are analysed. The concept is shown to remain essentially constant regardless of its field of enquiry and has much to inform the fields of organisation theory, strategy and operations management. This article identifies a number of areas for advancing resilience research, in particular: the relationship between human and organisational resilience; understanding interfaces between organisational and infrastructural resilience.

Organisational resilience: development of a conceptual framework for organisational responses

Abstract: Over recent years, the concept of resilience has gained increasing support within the academic community. Given the potentially devastating implications of disruptions, understanding the dynamics of successful adaption within organisations yields an important avenue for future research. This theoretical article will focus on addressing the features detection and activation within the response of an organisation to disruptive events. Through this, a conceptual framework of a resilient organisational response is presented. As such, this article will focus on establishing a solid conceptual base for organisational resilience upon which future empirical studies can be based. This article outlines the background literature relating to resilience and presents a working definition for organisational resilience. The conceptual framework supports analytical thinking toward characterising the response of an organisation to disruptive events and aims to support organisational development through outlining the fundam...

Building Organizational Resilience: Four Configurations

Abstract: This paper empirically explores the organizational processes at the onset of disruptions and the factors that determine different configurations of responses. It examines how processes of response, both before and in the aftermath of a disruption, support the building and development of organizational resilience. Using case study data from three U.K. based organizations, this paper makes the following three contributions. First, it identifies the common elements involved in decision making at the onset of a disruption, and explains the iterative stages and processes that led to the development of resilience. It explains the criticality and relationships between the elements of detection, activation, and response. Second, this paper explains why responses vary from one situation to another, by identifying two dimensions that determine the configurations of organizational resilience, namely Preparedness and Adaption. Third, this paper presents the resilience configurations matrix that gives rise to and establishes four distinct types of organizational configurations, which are Process Based, Resourceful, At High Risk, and Resilience Focused. This paper concludes by discussing the implications for theory and practice of resilience.

Sustainable Product Service Systems in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): Opportunities in the Leather Manufacturing Industry

Abstract: This paper presents an approach to identify opportunities to develop sustainable Product Service Systems (PSS) involving Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The purpose of the research is to build understanding of how the integration of product and service design and the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can contribute to identify opportunities to develop sustainable PSS involving SMEs. In order to develop the approach, research with 16 Colombian Manufacturing SMEs was carried out. A reference model and four generic types of PSS according to the relationships between product and service design and ICT are used to analyse the data. Finally, the possibility of extending the approach into a general framework to work with other industries is discussed.

Competence understanding and use in SMEs: a UK manufacturing perspective

Abstract: The paper seeks to address the neglected area of competency research that is the understanding and application of core competency concepts within small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). There is little doubt that SME manufacturing organisations can possess core competencies, however it appears from the literature that this issue has not yet been adequately addressed nor is there a clarification with regards to the nature of these competencies. This paper presents the results of an exploratory research study conducted with UK SMEs. The organisations involved were diverse and included a medical products manufacturer, automotive supplier, large metal fabrication and electromechanical capital equipment integrator. This research provides an insight into how competency concepts are perceived and understood amongst SME manufacturing firms and also whether these organisations use competence concepts. The research findings are important for both practitioners and academics, indicating an apparent lack of connectedness between research into competence and its ‘real world’ understanding and practical use within manufacturing SMEs.

The European commission

Abstract: 2 1 The innovative transport systems and the CityMobil project 10 1.1 The research questions 10 2 The state of art in the field of automatic transport systems 12 2.1 Case studies and demand studies for innovative transport systems 12 3 The design and implementation of surveys 14 3.1 Definition of experimental design 14 3.2 Questionnaire design and delivery 16 3.3 First analyses on the collected sample 18 4 Calibration of Logit Multionomial demand models 21 4.1 Methodology 21 4.2 Calibration of the “full” model. 22 4.3 Calibration of the “final” model 24 4.4 The demand analysis through the final Multinomial Logit model 25 5 The analysis of interaction between the demand and socioeconomic attributes 31 5.1 Methodology 31 5.2 Application of Mixed Logit models to the demand 31 5.3 Analysis of the interactions between demand and socioeconomic attributes through Mixed Logit models 32 5.4 Mixed Logit model and interaction between age and the demand for the CTS 38 5.5 Demand analysis with Mixed Logit model 39 6 Final analyses and conclusions 45 6.1 Comparison between the results of the analyses 45 6.2 Conclusions 48 6.3 Answers to the research questions and future developments 52

Toyota production system : beyond large-scale production

Abstract: * Starting from Need* Evolution of the Toyota Production System* Further Development* Genealogy of the Toyota Production System* The True Intention of the Ford System* Surviving the Low-Growth Period

Competing for the Future

Abstract: Everybody knows that digital technology has revolutionized our economy and our lifestyles. But how many of us really understand the drivers behind the technology – the significance of going digital; the miniaturization of electronic devices; the role of venture capital in financing the revolution; the importance of research and development? How many of us understand what it takes to make money from innovative technologies? Should we worry about manufacturing going offshore? What is the role of India and China in the digital economy? Drawing on a lifetime’s experience in the industry, as an engineer, a senior manager, and as a partner in a global venture capital firm, Henry Kressel offers an expert personalized answer to all these questions. He explains how the technology works, why it matters, how it is financed, and what the key lessons are for public policy.