Showing papers in "Benchmarking: An International Journal in 2015"

Job involvement, organizational commitment, professional commitment, and team commitment

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship among job involvement, organizational commitment, team commitment and professional commitment and to explore generational differences for these variables. Design/methodology/approach – It used structured questionnaire survey approach for which data were collected from 477 full-time employees of 13 organizations from diverse sectors in India. Respondents were categorized into four generational cohorts following the classification reported in Robbins et al. (2011). Findings – The findings of the study indicated that professional commitment is negatively related with job involvement, affective organizational commitment, normative organizational commitment, and team commitment. Job involvement, affective and normative organizational commitment, and team commitment were positively correlated. Differences were observed among Generation Y, Generation X, Liberals, and Socialist for job involvement, affective organizational commitment, normative or...

Continuous improvement philosophy – literature review and directions

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the history and existing research on continuous improvement (CI). Design/methodology/approach – Extensive review of the literature. Findings – This paper provides an overview of CI, its inception, how it evolved into sophisticated methodologies used in organizations today, and existing research in this field in the literature. Research limitations/implications – The literature on classification of CI has so far been very limited. The paper reviews a large number of papers in this field and presents the overview of various CI implementation practices demonstrated by manufacturing organizations globally. It also highlights the sophisticated CI methodologies suggested by various researchers and practitioners in the field of CI. Practical implications – The literature on classification of CI has so far been very limited. The paper reviews a large number of papers in this field and presents the overview of various CI implementation practices demo...

Green supply chain management (GSCM): a structured literature review and research implications

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the status of green supply chain management (GSCM) research in terms of how the field is represented along a number of dimensions including journal, year, country, university, publishing house, authors, research design, research methods, data analysis techniques, multi criteria decision-making methods, research topics/issues and major industries actively involved. Design/methodology/approach – A range of online databases from 1998 to August 2013 were searched containing the word “green supply chain” in their title and in the phrases to provide a comprehensive listing of journal articles on GSCM. Based on this a total of 177 articles were found and the information on a series of variables was gathered. Each of these articles was further reviewed and classified. The review and classification process was independently verified. All papers were allocated to the main and sub-categories based on the major focus. Findings – The major findings shows that survey re...

Analyzing drivers and barriers of coordination in humanitarian supply chain management under fuzzy environment

Abstract: – The purpose of this paper is to explore the barriers to coordination in humanitarian supply chain management (HSCM), proposes solutions and prioritizes them to overcome the barriers particularly in the Indian context. , – This study adopts a comprehensive and rigorous procedure to explore the barriers and solutions to coordination in HSCM. The research design is divided into three phases; first, the barriers and solutions are collected through an extensive literature review; second, barriers and solutions were verified with experts involved in relief operations of the disaster that occurred in Uttarakhand (a Northern state in India) on June 14, 2013 and finally, based on the weight of barriers estimated by fuzzy analytic hierarchy process, solutions to overcome the barriers are prioritized using fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution that considers uncertainty and impreciseness rather than a crisp value. , – This study explored 23 barriers to coordination in HSCM and grouped into five categories i.e., strategic barriers, individual barriers, organizational barriers, technological barriers and cultural barriers, and finally 15 solutions were proposed and prioritized to overcome the barriers so decision makers can focus on overcoming these barriers and realize the benefits of coordination in HSCM. , – This study provides a more efficient, effective, robust and systematic way to overcome barriers to coordination and improve the competencies of humanitarian supply chain (HSC). , – This is the first kind of study that prioritizes the solutions to enhance coordination in HSC based on the weight of the barriers.

Measuring retail supply chain performance

Abstract: Purpose – A growing body of literature has begun in the direction of supply chain performance measurement. However, selecting the appropriate set of key performance indicators (KPIs) for measuring supply chain performance have always remained a challenge. The purpose of this paper is to identify the KPIs and categorize them specifically for measuring retail supply chain performance. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach, based on literature has been adopted. Published literature from refereed journals on supply chain performance measurement has been considered and various approaches for developing KPIs have been studied to develop a theoretical framework for performance measurement in retail supply chain. Findings – The paper identifies key indicators for performance measurement and classifies them into four major categories: transport optimization, information technology optimization, inventory optimization and resource optimization. These key indicators are arranged precisely for retail i...

A comprehensive model for supply chain integration

Abstract: Purpose – Extant research on supply chain integration defines integration in different ways, and mainly discusses a limited number of integration elements. The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual integration model which consists of comprehensive elements that are important to academic research and industrial practices. Design/methodology/approach – Key literature survey with drawing threads of existing practices together for developing a systematic referential model and then verify the model with a real case. Findings – Developed a model consisting of integration elements residing at the strategic, managerial, operational, and fundamental levels (bottom line). Based on the benefit alignment, the total integration requires supply chain partners to integrate resource flows (material, information, knowledge, and finance), processes and organization, planning and control activities and strategy. Research limitations/implications – The research is based on secondary data and a case study illustrat...

Interrelations of service quality and service loyalty dimensions in medical tourism

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the dimensions of service quality as well as of service loyalty in the context of medical tourism. It seeks to demonstrate the conceptualization of medical tourism service loyalty (MTSL) construct. This research also attempts to examine the effect of service quality dimensions on service loyalty dimensions of medical tourism. Design/methodology/approach – The dimensions of service quality as well as of service loyalty are identified using an exploratory factor analysis. Next, the reliability and validity of the quality factors and loyalty factors are established through confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS 18.0 version. The related hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings – The paper identifies eight-factor construct for medical tourism service quality and three-factor construct for MTSL. It is found that the treatment satisfaction dimension of service quality has positive and significant impact on MTSL. It is also obser...

Multi-criteria decision making for supplier selection using fuzzy AHP approach

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a multi-criteria supplier selection model using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) approach for a leading automobile company in India. Design/methodology/approach – FAHP approach followed by a sensitivity analysis has been used. Findings – In this study, a FAHP-based supplier selection model is proposed to provide useful insights in choosing appropriate suppliers in dynamic situations in order to enhance long-term relationship with them. Practical implications – This study proposes a supplier selection model for an automobile industry which often faces heterogeneous supply environments. This model may have a high acceptability where a large number of suppliers are available to supply the materials or provide the services. As analytic hierarchy process is the most widely used methodology for supplier selection, however, it becomes less efficient in case of inconsistencies observed in the data. However a FAHP-based approach may overcome this difficult...

Multi-criteria decision making towards selection of industrial robot: Exploration of PROMETHEE II method

Abstract: Purpose – Robot selection is one of the critical decision-making tasks frequently performed by various industries in order to choose the best suited robot for specific industrial purposes In recent marketplace, the number of robot manufacturers has increased remarkably offering a wide range of models and specifications; thus, robot selection has become indeed confusing as well as complicated task Selection of an appropriate robot is a sensitive process; it may result massive letdown, if not chosen properly Therefore, for unravel the selection problem; the purpose of this paper is to explore the preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation (PROMETHEE) II method Design/methodology/approach – Apart from a large variety of robotic systems, existence of various multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) tools and techniques may create confusion to the decision makers’ in regards of application feasibility as well as superiority in performance to work under different decision-making situation

Empirical study of measuring supply chain performance

Abstract: Purpose – Supply chain (SC) performance measurement – the process of qualifying the efficiency and effectiveness of the SC. The purpose of this paper is to create a SC measurement framework for manufacturing industry, define which data should be measured and verify the measurement framework in the case company’s SC. Design/methodology/approach – There is a review of the current understanding of supply chain management and literature related to SC performance measurement and the study creates a framework for SC measurement. This research is qualitative case study research. Findings – This study presents the main theoretical framework of SC performance measurement. The key elements for the measurement framework were defined as time, profitability, order book analysis and managerial analysis. The measurement framework is tested by measuring case SC performance. Research limitations/implications – In the study, a performance measurement framework was created for the needs of manufacturing industry. Suggestion...

Benchmarking supply chains by analyzing technology transfer critical barriers using AHP approach

Abstract: Purpose – Technology transfer becoming an important area especially in developing and less developed countries. The purpose of this paper is to address issue of supply chains’ benchmarking based upon their capability to mange technology transfer critical barriers mitigation efforts toward making technology transfer process implementation successful. Design/methodology/approach – The present paper is based on two research stages. Initially, extensive literature review has been made to identify critical barriers. In total, 20 technology transfer critical barriers have been identified from literature review and categorized in to six criteria. In second stage, analytics hierarchy process has been utilized to rank the critical barriers of technology transfer in supply chain and provide a benchmarking framework. Findings – Political barriers (PB) have been analyzed most significant criteria of critical barriers to technology transfer followed by socio-cultural barriers (SO) and economic barriers (EB). “Politica...

Optimal selection of third-party logistics service providers using quality function deployment and Taguchi loss function

Abstract: Purpose – Selection of logistics service provider (LSP) (also known as Third-party logistics (3PL) is a critical decision, because logistics affects top and bottom line as well. Companies consider logistics as a cost driver and at the time of LSP selection decision, many important decision criteria’s are left out. 3PL selection is multi-criteria decision-making process. The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated approach, combining quality function deployment (QFD), and Taguchi loss function (TLF) to select optimal 3PL. Design/methodology/approach – Multiple criteria are derived from the company requirements using house of quality. The 3PL service attributes are developed using QFD and the relative importance of the attributes are assessed. TLFs are used to measure performance of each 3PL on each decision variable. Composite weighted loss scores are used to rank 3PLs. Findings – QFD is a better tool which connects attributes used in a decision problem to decision maker’s requirements. In total,...

Survey of reverse logistics practices in manufacturing industries: an Indian context

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current status of reverse logistics practices used on four sectors of Indian manufacturing industry, namely, auto, paper, food and beverage processing, and electronics. Design/methodology/approach – A nationwide questionnaire-based survey has been used to assess reverse logistics practices in Indian context. Findings – It was seen from the survey that Indian companies considered implementing reverse logistics programs in their organization as a strategic-level decision. Volume of products entering the return stream is a key driver of reverse logistics activities. One of the important observations of this research is that Indian companies have primarily adopted reverse logistics due to the economic benefits associated with them. Research limitations/implications – The results reported in this research are the bird’s eye view of reverse logistics practices in the Indian context only. The low level of questionnaire responses is also one of the limitat...

A content analysis of global supply chain research

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use content analysis to review the extensive supply chain literature to summarize its past and current trends, and uncover existing gaps and opportunities for future global supply chain research. Design/methodology/approach – Since the study uses content analysis, several dimensions of the literature were analyzed: research purpose, year of publication, journal name, methodology, theory building or verification, country of study, sample industry, global or non-global issues, and article classification. Findings – From a methodological point, the literature mostly consists of empirical and descriptive studies with few exploratory articles. The review shows that global supply chains area relatively “immature” or “new phenomenon” research topic that is gaining interest from practitioners and academics. Research limitations/implications – It is hoped that by critically examining the extant literature, the authors can clearly identify the challenges and state of global...

Modeling cause and effect relationships of strategy map using fuzzy DEMATEL and fourth generation of balanced scorecard

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop the strategy map (SM) of an Iranian automotive industry and the causal and effects relations of the SM’s variables though fourth generation of balanced scorecard (BSC) and fuzzy DEMATEL (decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory) technique. Design/methodology/approach – This research has employed a fuzzy DEMATEL approach in order to find cause and effect relations. At first step, CSFs in Company A’s SM were determined. Then four experts’ views of Company A’s strategic planning department were gathered and calculated by fuzzy set theory. Findings – Results showed the important role of customer perspective in supporting and achieving the organization’s vision which ultimately will lead to fulfillment of the financial objective of the company through satisfied customers. In other words, the dominant approach to logic of SM design in Company A and the obtained results from this research indicate, Company A can achieve strategic result with a more promine...

Multicriteria analysis for benchmarking sustainability development

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to formulate the process of measuring and benchmarking the performance of sustainability development of organizations as a multi-criteria analysis problem and presents an objective approach for solving the problem in a simple manner. Design/methodology/approach – An objective approach is developed for benchmarking the sustainability development performance of individual organizations in the context of multi-criteria analysis. The relative importance of the sustainability indicators is determined independent of the subjective preferences of the decision maker using the concept of information entropy. A modified technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solutions is used for effectively incorporating the objective indicator weights into the process of determining the overall performance of sustainability development of each organization. As a result, an unbiased overall ranking of individual organizations on the performance of their sustainability developme...

A benchmark-based method for sustainable product design

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop an effective approach to decide design details using benchmarking to capture the existing practice in sustainable design. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reports a systematic method for sustainable product design. The method uses benchmarks as references searching for design details to achieve sustainable solutions. Quality function deployment is used to guide the search process for competitive products using benchmarking to meet quantitative targets of product and to increase knowledge for sustainable design. Findings – The proposed method can meet both functional and sustainable requirements of product design. 18.55 percent reduction in carbon equivalent emissions is achieved compared to benchmarks in wheelchair design. The research reveals that when weight, material and number of components used in product decrease, environmental footprints and cost of the product improve. Originality/value – The research improves the existing method of sustain...

Exploring antecedents of extended supply chain performance measures: An insight from Indian green manufacturing practices

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents of Indian firms practicing green manufacturing practices and their impact on extended supply chain performance. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper the authors have adopted systematic literature review (SLR) to derive research objectives and questions. In order to answer research questions the authors have proposed a theoretical framework and derived research hypotheses. The authors identified constructs and items through extant literatures and developed a structured questionnaire which was pretested before using for final survey. The data were collected in two phases and also performed wave analysis to check non-response bias to avoid any significant impact of non-response bias on statistical analysis. The data has been used to conduct exploratory factor analysis using varimax rotation which reduces variables into five parsimonious and orthogonal factors. The factor analysis output was further used as an input of regression analysi...

Benchmarking agility assessment approaches: a case study

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to benchmark the assessment approaches of agility in a manufacturing organization. Design/methodology/approach – The criteria for agility assessment were identified comprehensively based on literature review. The agility assessment was done using Multi Grade Fuzzy and Fuzzy logic approaches, and the results were benchmarked. Findings – Based on Multi Grade Fuzzy approach, the agility index was found to be 6.6; Fuzzy logic approach reveals the agility index as (5.37, 6.91, 8.45) which indicated the case organization is agile. The gaps were identified from both the approaches and the results were corroborated. Research limitations/implications – In the present study, Multi Grade Fuzzy and Fuzzy logic approaches were only benchmarked. Also, the benchmarking exercise was done only in one manufacturing organization. Practical implications – The benchmarking study was conducted in a manufacturing organization. The practitioners’ views were gathered and they were involved i...

Fuzzy based appraisement module for 3PL evaluation and selection

Abstract: Purpose – In today’s’ highly competitive market, outsourcing logistic activities have become a global trend as it offers wide range of services including transportation, distribution, packaging, labeling, warehousing, freight forwarding and order fulfillment. The demand of third-party logistics (3PL) provider becomes an increasingly important issue for corporate seeking improved customer service, operational efficiency, logistics costs as well as capital expenditure reduction. However, choosing a proper 3PL provider is a kind of multi-criteria decision making problem under consideration of complicated criteria hierarchy. Therefore, it seems necessary to develop an efficient appraisement module towards performance evaluation as well as selecting the best 3PL provider. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The present paper proposes a fuzzy based appraisement platform for evaluation and selection of 3PL providers. The theory behind interval-valued fuzzy numbers (IVFNs) has be...

Estimating customer lifetime value for new product development based on the Kano model with a case study in automobile industry

Abstract: Purpose – In previous studies, historical information of customer had been used for determining customer lifetime value (CLV). The purpose of this paper is to modify CLV estimation to be applied before producing a new product. Design/methodology/approach – In this study, the CLV estimation has been modified using Kano satisfaction coefficient. The Kano satisfaction coefficient has been assumed as loyalty indicator in estimating CLV and related equations have been developed for allocating Kano requirements to various phases of product life cycle. The proposed approach has been examined in two new product options of the automobile industry. Finally, by using customers’ purchase records during three years, CLV has been calculated for both product development options. Findings – Findings indicate that CLV of the first development option is equal to 407 million and 500,000 toumans and of the second option is equal to 392 million toumans, this difference is related to different requirements of the Kano model, a...

Benchmarking the service quality of airlines in the United States: an exploratory analysis

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to help airlines gain a better understanding of passengers’ service concerns, identify opportunities for continuous service improvement, and then develop service benchmarking standards that can be a yardstick for the airline’s competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach – This paper develops a set of target performance standards that helps airlines monitor their service delivery process, identify relative weaknesses, and take corrective actions for continuous service improvements using exploratory data analysis and competitive gap analysis. Findings – This study reveals that a service attribute considered most important to the airline customers’ impressions of service quality are air safety. This result reflects a growing concern over potential terrorism against airlines in the wake of the September 11 incident. The authors also found that proper baggage handling, competitive airfare, and on-time arrival/departure were next most important service attributes, whereas...

The mediating effect of human resource on successful total quality management implementation

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the mediating effect of human resource (HR) between independent variables (i.e. leadership and quality culture (QC)) and successful total quality management (TQM) implementation for firm performance as dependent variable. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, the authors have used exploratory factor analysis output as input for mediation statistics. The mediating regression analysis has been performed using exploratory factor analysis based on four steps technique proposed by Baron and Keene in the year 1986 to test the theoretical model. Findings – The mediation statistics output suggests that HR is a complete mediation between independent variables (i.e. leadership) and successful TQM implementation for firm performance and QC is having direct impact on firm performance without any mediation effect of HR. Research limitations/implications – Mediation regression has its own limitations. Satisfying four steps does not, however, conclusively establish ...

Industrial services – the solution provider’s stairway to heaven or highway to hell?

Abstract: Purpose – The role of industrial services has increased in importance as product manufacturing oriented companies have been moving towards industrial services and integrated solutions. While migrating towards solutions provision, manufacturing companies have been developing new Service offerings, service business models logics and methods of service delivery are developed by using new technologies for value co-production and co-creation. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the solution providers perspective by illustrating central approaches tapping into industrial services, such as environment-strategy-fit, scope of industrial service offering, industrial service business capabilities, and servitization process. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews literature related to industrial service phenomenon providing a: framework for environment-strategy-fit in the context of Industrial Services taking Fit; defining industrial service business; defining industrial service business capabilities; an...

Modelling the measures of supply chain performance in the Indian automotive industry

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the interactions among the key factors of supply chain (SC) in the Indian automotive industry. These key factors are helpful to measure supply chain performance (SCP) and to improve the firm’s effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, an interpretive structural modeling with a fuzzy cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification-based approach is used to examine the interactions among the key factors of SCP measurement. Findings – The authors have identified the most dominant key factors used for measuring the performance in automotive SC. The results exhibit that the order lead-time and order entry method are the most significant key factors. These key factors have high driving power to measure SCP whereas the post-transaction measure of customer service and customer query time are highly dependent on other factors. Such relationships among the key factors can help a firm’s top management to make essential judgments in ...

An innovative framework for performance analysis of members of supply chains

Abstract: Purpose – An appropriate system for analysing performance of supply chains is an important requirement for the effective utilization of the supply chains. The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual model for the task of analysing the performance of members of supply chains. Design/methodology/approach – A thorough literature review of the methodologies proposed earlier by various authors has been made. In this paper a multi criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework comprising of two MCDM approaches is proposed for analysing performance of supply chain members. Findings – Performance analysis of members of supply chain and the process of decision making based on the outcome of the analysis is a MCDM process. Since human judgements are often vague, the application of fuzzy concepts is appropriate for analysing the performance of supply chains. The framework proposed in this paper was validated in a company manufacturing textiles. Research limitations/implications – The methodologies proposed are of great use for large- and medium-sized enterprises. However, small organizations may not be able to allot enough resources to implement the methodologies proposed. Practical implications – The framework developed can be applied for undertaking a comparative analysis of performance of members of supply chains. It can also be applied for the process of incorporation of new members into the supply chain. Originality/value – Very few methods are available for analysing the performance of supply chains and the subject remains an under researched one. The major contribution of this paper is that it proposes a new framework

Assessing value co-creation and value capture potential in services: a management framework

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the managerial practices to assess value creation and value capture potential in longitudinal buyer-seller relationships, and proposes a framework for evaluating such potential for maximizing sales function efficiency. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on an exploratory multi-case study with seven internationally operating companies from a variety of industries, with the aim of building the framework for sales opportunity management. The framework is then refined in eight workshops with 21 companies. Findings – The findings suggest that industrial companies need to develop new capabilities to efficiently manage value selling opportunities at different stages of the opportunity lifecycle. Research limitations/implications – The underlying sales approach of the research is proactive value selling in a service business context. The findings may not be generalizable into other sales contexts. Practical implications – The paper provides pr...

Determining improvement needs in higher education benchmarking

Abstract: Purpose – A critical step in all benchmarking methodologies is “to determine what to benchmark.” Although benchmarking methodologies have been noted in the literature, the need has arisen for the development of structured approaches to determine priority improvement needs. The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for determining improvement needs in higher education benchmarking. Design/methodology/approach – The paper makes use of the analytic hierarchy process to develop a framework. The application of the framework is demonstrated through a case study. Findings – The framework discussed in this paper is consensus-based, allows different viewpoints to be integrated, and promotes input to and ownership of the decision making process and its outcomes. The feedback of the participants confirmed the usefulness of the approach. Practical implications – The previous research has established that determining improvement needs in benchmarking was mostly unsystematic and ad hoc based. And failures in ...

Factors affecting the ERP implementation in Indian retail sector: A structural equation modelling approach

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to make an effort in identifying and exploring the factors which may affect the success of ERP implementation in Indian retail sector. This paper also analyses the between the factors and their impact on the successful implementation of ERP using the structured equation modeling (SEM) approach. “Organizational,” “Technological,” “People” and “Project Management” are the examined factors. Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical model is created that explains the factors which may affect the success of ERP implementation. Hypotheses were also developed to evaluate the interrelationship between affecting factors and success of ERP implementation. Empirical data is collected through survey questionnaire from practitioner like project sponsors, project managers, implementation consultants and team members who are involved in ERP implementation in retail sector to test the theoretical model. Findings – Using SEM, it is found that 62.7 percent of the variations of ERP i...

Evaluation of retail service quality – a fuzzy AHP approach

Abstract: Purpose – With the growing importance of service quality in Indian retail, it becomes critical for the retailers to identify the appropriate dimensions for their retail stores. In the process of evaluating service quality the decision maker is often faced with ambiguities due to the imprecise information gained from the respondents. The purpose of this paper is to present an integrated fuzzy (fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) approach to help the decision makers/retailers in practicing and judging the priorities of service quality strategies and accordingly benchmarking retail stores in Indian retail environment. Design/methodology/approach – The study incorporated the five basic dimensions of Retail Service Quality Scale proposed by Dabholkar et al. (1996) and the FAHP approach to three leading apparel retail stores of a major city (Rourkela) of Orissa (an Indian state located in eastern part of the country) to determine the weights of criteria and sub-criteria of retail service quality. Findings –...