Search results for "operation"
showing 10 items of 2969 documents
The strategy formation process in the EFQM Excellence Model: a critical review and new perspectives
2011
The adoption of an integrative strategy formation process becomes a way of developing a strategic capability that contributes to generating positive results and sustainable competitive advantages. In today's environments, many companies are also using the EFQM Excellence Model (EEM) to try to develop such a strategic capability. This paper presents an exhaustive review of the literature on the strategic process debate and on the strategic capability of the EEM. As a result, we offer to practitioners a conceptual framework which shows the EEM as a useful driver to facilitate the development of an integrative strategy formation process, and we propose a set of dimensions and variables (the le…
A Multi-parameter Model for Effective Configuration of Supply Chains
2015
In this paper, a mathematical model for the strategic planning and design of supply chains in the globalization context is proposed. A multi-objective function is used to address decisions about capacity sizing, sourcing, and facility location, with the scope of maximizing supply chain profits. The model is dynamic and is applied to a multi-echelon, multi-facility and multi-product supply chain in hypotheses of delocalization. The model is characterized by the specific attention given to cost, revenue and financial factor modelling, which has been obtained by means of an activity-based approach and the inclusion of two drivers that are usually neglected in the literature: energy and labour…
High commitment HR practices, the employment relationship and job performance: A test of a mediation model
2016
Abstract Purpose This study outlines and tests a high commitment model of human resource (HR) practices and its association with outcomes through a path including employee perceptions and attitudes, thereby seeking a new way of opening the so-called ‘black box’ between human resource management (HRM) and performance. Methodology Data were collected through a questionnaire survey with responses from 835 Spanish workers from three sectors (services, education and food manufacture). In order to test hypotheses, we conducted a path analysis. Findings High commitment HR practices were related to employee performance through the mediating effect of perceived organizational support, a fulfilled ps…
Explaining the relationship between socially responsible products and the operations of the firm: The case of equine assisted therapy
2018
Abstract Although there is a growing interest in social responsibility in research as well as in practice, the majority of studies on corporate social responsibility do not explicitly investigate operations management issues when adopting socially responsible practices under the “people” pillar of sustainability. This paper, dealing with the theme of social responsibility in operations management, aims at clarifying the complex relationship between socially responsible product/service and the operations of the company. The empirical context of the study is the sport industry, where the attention to social issues is well established. We used a mixed theoretical-empirical approach to develop …
Analysis of hinterland transport strategies when exporting perishable products
2022
Since a good hinterland connection is considered an important factor in port competitiveness, the objective of this paper is to analyse the impact of the development of hinterland transport strategies on the competitiveness of the port by taking the Port of Cape Town, the Republic of South Africa as an example. The development of transport strategies is reflected in terms of a lower cost and higher frequency of inland transport. To investigate the interplay among export products, transport, and access to a port for exporters, we use a linear programming model. The model considers both the choice of transport modes and the impacts of improved inland transport strategies. The model could easi…
Vulnerability matrix of the food system : operationalizing vulnerability and addressing food security
2016
Food security is the major desired outcome of any food system, but its realization may be prevented by vulnerabilities in a food system. By shifting the focus of their vulnerability analysis from the discrete components of the food system to the food system as a whole, the authors of this article were able to develop a qualitative food system vulnerability matrix. The objective of the research was to make the concept of food system vulnerability operational by identifying vulnerability drivers, vulnerable systems and vulnerable subclasses in light of food security. The vulnerability matrix was set up with five classes of vulnerable systems (‘Vulnerability of what?’) on the horizontal axis a…
Firm innovativeness and work-life balance
2017
ABSTRACTAssessing firms’ innovativeness is not an easy task. The literature recognises a number of innovativeness indicators. Most of them are technology-based indicators which perform well in high-tech industries but might be ineffective in other industries where patenting is not usual or in which R&D budgets are low or not formalised. In this paper, we critically review previous innovativeness indicators and we propose a new approach to assess firm innovativeness that is based not on the role of technology but on that of people. This new approach focuses on the existence of work-life balance benefits that are connected with motivation, engagement and creativity in the workplace. We argue …
Overcoming the “lost before translation” problem: An exploratory study
2019
This paper draws on Stokes’ (1997) framework to position the disconnection between theory and practice as a knowledge production problem. In this sense, we argue that a better understanding of different academic profiles is extremely important to focus efforts on those academics that may overcome the ‘lost before translation’ problem. Our data, that come from a survey of researchers affiliated to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), provide a good opportunity to explore the factors that might increase or impede the likelihood that researchers engage in research that reconciles the quest for fundamental understanding with the consideration of use (Pasteur’s profile), rather than in …
Revisiting the Trade-off Between Risk and Incentives: The Shocking Effect of Random Shocks?
2019
Despite its central role in the theory of incentives, empirical evidence of a trade-off between risk and incentives remains scarce. We reexamine this trade-off in a workplace lab environment and find that, in line with theory, principals increase fixed pay while lowering performance pay when the relationship between effort and output is noisier. Unexpectedly, agents produce substantially more in the noisy environment than in the baseline despite weaker incentives. In addition, principals’ earnings are significantly higher in the noisy environment. We show that these findings can be accounted for when agents maximize a non-CARA utility function or when they exhibit loss aversion. Data and t…
University trustees as channels between academe and industry: Toward an understanding of the executive science network
2013
Abstract Policy makers in the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) see “autonomous” research universities as increasingly central to “world class” status, technology development and economic innovation. Trustees or regents (US) and external board members (EU) are seen as a marker of university autonomy. Examining university trustees may shed some light on the role of trustees/external board members play in research strategy, innovation and economic development. Given that a number of trustees of US research universities sit on the boards of directors of large corporations with research interests, we hypothesized that trustees may be an important channel connecting universities to …