Business process reengineering of an air cargo handling process

Business Process Reengineering (BPR) is one of the most recent innovations in industrial engineering and management science which represents the rapid and radical redesign of strategic, value-added processes and the system, policies and organizational structures that support them to optimize the work flows and productivity of an organization. This paper presents a BPR effort and programme of an air cargo handling process at an international airport. The objective of this work is to demonstrate the performance breakthrough of a BPR technique to achieve dramatic improvements in critical measures of contemporary performance with respect to quality service and speed in the airlines cargo handling process. Field data on service dimensions of the process have been collected choosing time as metric. Process-flow diagrams, process analysis worksheets and data summary charts are prepared as effective tools to get a thorough understanding of the existing process with a view to focus on the possible areas of improvements. A fact-based defensible and quantifiable “Before–after chart” of BPR has been presented for documenting the expected gains. BPR has proved to be a modern innovative useful industrial engineering and management technique to achieve dramatic improvement in operational efficiencies for quality services of the airlines cargo handling processes.     

服务型制造项目治理的影响机理研究——基于扎根理论的探索性案例分析

随着信息化的发展和产业竞争的不断加剧,服务型制造业已经成为我国制造业转型升级的必由之路。本文将采用以扎根理论为核心的多案例研究方法,试图通过实践探索归纳出有关服务型制造项目治理影响机理的理论模型。研究得出：（1）影响服务型制造项目治理的因素主要来自于项目利益相关者和项目相关的保障因素两方面,其中项目利益相容性、信任水平和合作强度影响着服务型制造项目的关系治理;项目实施和项目合作环以及项目绩效3个因素直接影响项目保障因素;（2）针对利益相关关系和项目保障两大因素的影响,提出综合关系治理和项目环境保障协同治理的解决方案,构建服务型制造项目治理影响机理图;（3）基于服务型制造项目治理影响机理,提出了搭建公共信息平台、建立合作共赢理念、建立科学预警机制和冲突变动以及建立信用评价体系等措施。     

A conceptual and analytical framework for business process reengineering

BPR has become a hot buzzword in management and information systems disciplines. However, there is a lacuna in recognizing the characteristics and the way of performing BPR. In this paper, we categorize the reasons for BPR failure as the lack of understanding of and the inability to perform BPR, and we reviewed BPR based on the four key concepts: fundamental, radical, dramatic, and process. We argue that SSM can be applied in performing BPR in the following ways:

1. (1) SSM can be a general methodology for BPR,

2. (2) SSM can be an analytical framework for BPR, and

3. (3) SSM is able to deal with the ill-defined and complex business situation in a BPR effort.

To illustrate the applicability of SSM in the context of BPR, we describe a live case of a BPR effort in developing and implementing an image processing system for hospital ward ordering. Finally, in order to demonstrate the power of SSM, by extending SSM considerations of What/How, we elaborate further on the What's and How's conceptual framework of an analysis and redesign effort. Based on this framework, we review the roles of information technologies in BPR.     

Paths Toward Radical Service Innovation in Manufacturing Companies—A Service‐Dominant Logic Perspective

Research on servitization of manufacturing companies concentrates on typologies of product–service bundles, on transition pathways to increased servitization, and on resource and capabilities configurations necessary to accomplish this transition. Missing from existing research is an analysis of the degree of novelty of service innovations introduced by manufacturing companies. Therefore, this article shifts the focus from the transition process itself to the question of how manufacturing companies can introduce radical service innovations to the market. This article links servitization literature with service innovation literature and investigates how manufacturing companies can introduce radically new services in terms of three forms of innovations: service concept innovations, customer experience innovations, and service process innovations. Service‐dominant logic (SDL) is applied as the theoretical lens because it covers four significant factors influencing the success of companies’ innovation activities: actor value networks, resource liquefaction, resource density, and resource integration. Based on a multiple case study of 24 Danish business‐to‐business manufacturing small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises and through a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis, different configurations of the principles of SDL are analyzed. They describe the paths to radical service innovation. Digitalization appears as a central causal condition in the bulk of the configurations. Big and rich data generated internally within the focal company in combination with for instance customer data can enhance the innovativeness of the service offerings. However, digitalization is not a sufficient condition for launching radical service innovation—it should be combined with an efficient mobilization of resources internally within the focal company and/or collaboration with other organizations within the value system. In addition, the analysis hints to a need to detach from immediate customers as the prime driver of service innovation.     

石油管材驻厂监造服务的质量管理

驻厂监造是采购质量控制的重要一环,属于设备监理的范畴。通过分析石油管材监造服务的特点和发展现状,指出加强监造服务管理是一项重要工作。站在委托方(业主)的角度,就监造服务管理制度的建立、监造单位的选择、监造合同的签订、监造过程的监督以及项目完工后监造服务质量的评价等方面,阐述了监造服务质量管理的要点,提出了管理措施和建议。     

REAL OPTION MODELS FOR MANAGING MANUFACTURING SYSTEM CHANGES IN THE NEW ECONOMY

The manufacturing environment is becoming increasingly dynamic with upsurges in electronic-commerce, supply chain management, forecasting, and procurement and resource planning. It also includes trends toward more process data acquisition and analysis, shorter production runs, and more stringent quality requirements. These drivers lead to an opportunity for companies to collect and use information to identify changes that will affect their manufacturing systems. In conjunction with an industry partner who produces home fashion products, we developed a case-study that highlights four major manufacturing transitions: new product introduction; moving a product from research and development (R&D) to commercialization: new plant location; and starting or restarting production of existing products. These types of changes cross many levels of the operation - including the product level, plant level, and organizational level - and typically present significant operational challenges. We use this case-study to motivate the theoretical and applied research needed to support a real option framework for system changes in manufacturing. The key elements of our framework are to quantify manufacturing changes, develop a real option model for these activities, value the options to identify the best scenarios, and integrate these elements so that we can monitor and manage the overall process. The advantage of this approach is that it allows us to directly incorporate a market driven perspective, tying the manufacturing operations with the organizational economic goals.     

浅析战略人力资源管理

本文从企业发展与人力资源管理的关系出发,分析战略人力资源管理的概念和特点,充分肯定战略人力资源管理在现代企业发展中的地位和优势,对于企业的发展和创新具有指导意义。     

Flexibility planning for managing R&D projects under risk

Incorporating managerial flexibility in an innovative R&D project is important, because managers face greater uncertainty in today's competitive and dynamic changing environment. It is essential to bring managerial flexibility into R&D project planning to decrease technical and market risks, while increasing potential market value. The objective of this paper is to develop a flexibility planning methodology based on real option analysis to improve managerial flexibility for R&D projects. The proposed methodology identifies potential risks that may occur during every R&D stage. It also recognizes a cascading option structure to resolve the identified risks, and evaluates and selects adequate options that maximize the potential value of the project. Instead of using a traditional option pricing method, a dynamic programming model that considers multidimensional product performance and market payoff is used to evaluate the R&D project value. Using the proposed methodology, managers can identify future scenarios as a function of their management actions. The proposed flexibility planning methodology can help managers improve managerial flexibility of R&D project and increase the success rate of product launch. A drug development project is used to illustrate the proposed methodology.     

建设工程施工项目管理体系框架集成研究

在借鉴《项目管理知识体系》(PMBOK)和GB，T50326—2001《建设工程施工项目管理规范》的基础上，结合施工实际从项目全生命周期、项目全管理过程、项目全管理要素和项目全产品价值链4个方面对建设工程施工项目管理进行全面、有效地集成，从而建立起比较清晰、全面、结构化和层次化的建设工程施工项目管理体系框架。     

Conflicts and value co-creation in project networks

The present study aims to (i) extend knowledge of the nature of conflicts and of their influence on value co-creation in project networks and (ii) contribute to the management of conflicts to enable value co-creation.This work is based on an action research methodology conducted during a five-year case study of a firm operating in the Information and Communication (IT) industry. Three dimensions of conflicts are identified: (i) types, (ii) timing and (iii) effects. An understanding of these dimensions facilitates the management of conflicts. Two levels of intervention are isolated: (i) the strategic level and (ii) the operational level. The paper offers a new understanding of conflicts that should precede their management, which is crucial to enabling project network value.     

The Fuzzy Front‐End of Discontinuous Innovation: Insights for Research and Management

In an article by Reid and de Brentani, a theoretical model of the process and structure for the fuzzy front‐end (FFE) of new product development (NPD) for discontinuous innovations was proposed. Its basic premise is that information flow in the early development of such innovations moves from the environment into the firm, facilitated by individuals playing three key roles at three decision‐making interfaces: (1) the boundary spanner at the boundary interface, (2) the gatekeeper at the gatekeeping interface, and (3) what is identified in this paper as the “project broker” at the project interface. The current paper builds on and augments the ideas presented in this theoretical model with the primary objective of formulating a set of propositions detailing factors affecting the flow of information, and thus role effectiveness at each of these interfaces for discontinuous innovations. The focus is on radically new innovations both because this type of innovation has the highest level of uncertainty during the FFE and because the development of products resulting from such innovations entails the greatest lack of understanding and the fewest strategies for effective management. To achieve this objective, individual, social system, and environmental factors, which promote and/or inhibit the effectiveness of the roles played during the three FFE phases, are examined in terms of both the speed and the quality of information flow. This is done with the goal of substantially improving NPD information as it proceeds through the FFE. In turn, it can help researchers, managers, and team players to better anticipate and meet the navigational challenges of this intrinsically complex, risky, but high potential, NPD scenario.     

项目风险管理的持续改进方法

风险管理是项目管理的主要部分，其目的是追求积极活动的最大化和不利活动的最小化。持续改进思想被引入到项目风险管理，体现管理思想和原则方面的意义。持续改进的风险管理由一系列与项目有关风险的流程、方法和工具组成，并为风险管理提供了一个主动管理的合理环境。章对项目风险管理的持续改进的成熟度模型、功能、步骤和价值进行了研究。     

The future of operations management: An outlook and analysis

Managing operations in both manufacturing and service organizations have evolved tremendously over the years with the change in market requirements. The market has become global, thereby compelling enterprise operations to keep up. The application of information technology/information systems (IT/IS) and outsourcing in managing operations have significantly altered the landscape of operations management (OM) strategies, techniques, and technologies. Consciousness towards environmental and safety also urges companies to examine their OM approach and manufacturing from various perspectives. Recently, energy cost and protection against terrorism have changed the portfolio of enterprise operations and therefore the approach to OM. Now, it is time to revisit the OM principles, curriculum, and training at the institution of higher learning and industries. Moreover, manufacturing has become more of a service activity, indicating significant service OM, including project management. The profile of service industries has also changed in view of the emergence of globalization, outsourcing, and IT, coupled with the rapid economic growth of emerging economies such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC). In fact, services account for approximately 80% of the US gross domestic product (GDP); this is also a growing figure of the GDPs of other countries over the world. Again, service OM needs to be revisited in the context of the abovementioned paradigm shifts. In considering the significance of the above-mentioned changes in the market and society as a whole, an attempt is made to study the evolution of OM and subsequently to develop a framework for new OM strategies and tactics that will support the competitiveness of organizations within the next 10-20 years.     

Innovation among suppliers to automobile manufacturers: an exploratory study of barriers and facilitators1

This paper reports on an exploratory study of the barriers and facilitators that affect technological innovation by suppliers to the automotive industry and the adoption of such innovations by the industry. The specific focus in the study was on key decision and action points in the life of specific innovations or potential innovations (ideas for new products) which may affect their successful development and marketing. The major source of data for this study was in the form of brief cases obtained from interviews of managers and technical personnel in suppliers to the automotive industry. These cases related to specific projects engaged in or ideas proposed by the responding firms or others in their sector of the industry which were aimed at the introduction of new or improved products, components, systems, materials, designs, etc., to the automotive industry. The information and data for this study were collected by means of structured interviews with 15 managers in 13 first level supplier firms to the automotive industry. A total of 32 innovations were investigated and a corresponding number of 32 cases and additional information on barriers and facilitators were generated for these 32 innovations. In general it was found that the most important barriers and facilitators to innovating were federal laws and regulations. Overall, the two types of decisions that are made in the automotive supplier's environment which appear consistently throughout these cases are (1) the automotive customer's decision to accept, encourage development of, or adopt innovations, and (2) the government's decision to mandate changes in safety, environment or energy-relatedregulations or legislation. The policy implications of the results of this study are discussed as they relate to an evolving model of the effects of potential federal intervention in the R&D/innovation process.     

Product radicalness and firm performance in B2B marketing: A moderated mediation model

There has been ambiguity and controversy in establishing the links between the introduction of radical innovations and firm performance. While radical innovations create customer value and grow product sales, they are also fraught with uncertainty due to customer resistance to innovative products and significant costs associated with commercialization. This research aims to explain the contrarian findings between radical innovations and firm performance in a business-to-business (B2B) context by examining two mediating variables – new product advantage and customer unfamiliarity. Using a multi-informant approach, the authors collected survey data from a sample of 170 Spanish B2B firms engaged in new product development, provided by 357 managers. The authors find that, while new product advantage positively mediates the relationship between product radicalness and firm performance, customer unfamiliarity has a negative mediation effect on this relationship. Furthermore, the authors examine the moderated mediation effect by industry type, manufacturing vs. service, and find that it moderates the mediation of customer unfamiliarity: The negative impact of product radicalness on customer unfamiliarity is greater for manufacturing firms than for service firms. With these findings, the authors discuss implications for development and marketing of radical innovations and how those implications facilitate firm performance in the B2B context.     

引进型管理创新知识源分析——以广州本田环境绩效管理模式为例

根据我国企业实践,绝大多数管理创新属于引进型创新,即在组织外部已存在的管理实践或思想的基础上引进加工而成的创新。因此,有效获取管理创新知识,即知识源问题,成为我国企业引进和实施管理创新的关键。在总结管理创新相关研究的基础上,提出管理创新的三类主要知识源：内部知识源、市场知识源和专业知识源。研究发现：大部分企业以非当地企业为参照群体;咨询机构是我国企业管理创新的重要来源;政府政策导向作用明显;内部员工没有发挥应有的作用。在此基础上,对广州本田的环境绩效管理模式创新做案例分析,具体分析管理创新中知识源的作用。     

The contributions of interpreters to the development of radical innovations of meanings: the role of ‘Pioneering Projects’ in the sustainable buildings industry

Studies of innovation management have often focused on two domains: technologies and markets. An ever‐increasing standard of living is pushing companies to develop products and services that are not only profitable but also socially responsible. Sustainable housing offers an intriguing empirical setting that allows the investigation of new processes able to support innovations that must be both profitable and socially responsible. Energy‐efficient houses not only require technological changes (new sustainable energy technologies) but also require behavioural changes in consumers' attitudes, decisions and practices about living in sustainable houses. Companies are not only innovative in regard to their own product but apply the entire system of application with which their specific technologies interact. The development of Pioneering Projects requires many skills and competencies that often exceed the capacity and competencies of a single company. In other words, Pioneering Projects are testing grounds for experimentation, where unconventional, temporary partnerships of stakeholders from different industries unite in the development of real market applications. The paper addresses the value of key interpreters in facilitating the development of radical innovations of meanings in the sustainable buildings industry. Specifically, the paper analyses the ability to create value for the Pioneering Projects from the exploration and knowledge diversity of the interpreters and the impact that Pioneering Projects have on the companies' outcomes. Empirical data about Pioneering Projects were collected from two manufacturing companies in Denmark: DOVISTA and Saint‐Gobain Isover.     

Empirically testing ES success factors in business process reengineering

Previously proposed success factors for Expert Systems implementation are field tested in the context of business process reengineering (BPR) projects. Due to its nature mimicking human expert behavior, ES technology applications in BPR provide a unique opportunity to study major organization changes within a relatively short time. Using Pearson correlations and multivariate regression analysis, eight ES implementation success factors proposed in the literature were empirically tested in this study in terms of their importance to the BPR benefits derived from the application. Sixty-two ES applications within E.I. Dupont de Nemours and Company dealing with business process changes significant enough to be called BPR were used. Despite the relatively small sample size, six of the eight success factors were corroborated: user satisfaction with the ES, the importance and difficulty of the business problem addressed, user attitudes toward ES technology and the particular ES project, the degree of user involvement in the ES implementation process, and the ES developer(s) skills.     

企业成功实施管理流程再造实务研究

文章讨论了管理流程再造的含义、发展状况，并通过福特公司一个流程再造、压缩管理人员的实例分析来说明流程再造并非大型企业的专利，中小企业也同样可以成功实施流程再造。