Responsiveness, the primary reason behind re-shoring manufacturing activities to the UK

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 222-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid Moradlou ◽  
Chris Backhouse ◽  
Rajesh Ranganathan
Keyword(s):  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Location Decisions ◽  
Lead Times ◽  
Total Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Location ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Electricity Shortage ◽  
Indian Industries

Purpose Due to today’s volatile business environment companies have started to establish a better understanding of the total risk/benefit-balance concerning manufacturing location decisions of their component supply. The focus is now much more on comprehensive and strategic supply chain issues rather than simply relying on piece-part cost analysis. This has led to an emerging trend called re-shoring. The purpose of this paper is to understand the primary motivation behind the re-shoring strategy in the UK and investigate the factors that influence this decision from Indian industries perspectives. Design/methodology/approach The analysis of the paper is based on interviews conducted in the UK and India (state of Tamil Nadu) in various industries including automotive, industrial goods, textile, and marine. For this purpose an interview framework based on key enablers identified from the literature, being information technology solutions, manufacturing equipment and human factors. This provided an assessment of the capability of the companies for being responsive to western demand. Findings The findings indicate that re-shoring to the UK is the result of inadequacy in responsiveness and long production lead times of the Indian suppliers. The outcome of this paper indicates that the top factors behind this inadequacy in responsiveness are logistics and transportation, electricity shortage, excessive paperwork and working attitude. Originality/value This paper aims to fill the gap in the re-shoring literature by providing a clear picture behind the reason for re-shoring in the UK and identify the drivers behind this shortcoming in the component supply from India.

Reshoring drivers and barriers in the Swedish manufacturing industry

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriella Engström ◽  
Kristina Sollander ◽  
Per Hilletofth ◽  
David Eriksson
Keyword(s):  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Location Decisions ◽  
Location Decision ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Location ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Insight Into

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore reshoring drivers and barriers from a Swedish manufacturing perspective.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is a case study, including four Swedish manufacturing companies, with focus on drivers and barriers from the context of the Swedish manufacturing industry. A literature review of previously established drivers and barriers is used to map out the empirical findings and thereby identify potential gaps between the current body of literature and drivers and barriers from a Swedish manufacturing context.FindingsThe findings of the study suggest that quality issues continue to be one of the strongest reshoring drivers. Except for product quality, quality is also connected to host country’s infrastructure, communication and service. The supply chain perspective is a source of several drivers and is identified as a perspective often overlooked in offshoring decisions. Barriers related to firm specifics were more elaborately discussed by the companies, especially concerning calculation of location decision and the need to invest in resources, which allows for a higher level of capacity at the home country facility.Research limitations/implicationsThe study develops a structured table of reshoring drivers and barriers which can serve as a base for future research. Future research on the calculation of location decisions is deemed as a crucial step to further understand reshoring and aid companies in the decision-making process.Practical implicationsThe drivers and barriers identified in the study can give practitioners insight into reshoring from the perspective of the Swedish manufacturing industry and thus aid in future manufacturing location decisions. The table of drivers and barriers can also be important to understand how Sweden can strengthen its competitive advantage and motivate more companies to reshore manufacturing.Originality/valueThis is one of only few papers from the Nordic countries and also one of few case studies examining reshoring in manufacturing companies.

E-business internal audit: the elephant is still in the room!

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amr Kotb ◽  
Alan Sangster ◽  
David Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Internal Audit ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Internal Auditors ◽  
Internal Audit Function ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
It Audit ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of technological change on the internal audit practices and skills requirements for internal auditors in an e-business environment. Design/methodology/approach – Generalist internal auditors and specialist information technology (IT) internal auditors were surveyed online in ten countries, including the USA and the UK which, together, provided the majority of responses. Findings – The results suggest a need for advanced IT-audit techniques in conducting the internal audit function, thereby increasing IT audit skill demands on generalist internal auditors. However, the results show a low confidence among internal auditors about their IT training and a continuing reliance upon IT audit specialists, rather than their own training/retraining. Research limitations/implications – The responses obtained in this study provide insight into both the status quo of the internal audit function, and to the changes that are needed to prepare generalist internal auditors for work in an e-business environment and, while the scale of the study limits the extent to which the findings may be generalized, they are consistent with the literature concerning the changing business environment and with the literature on resistance to change, suggesting that the issues revealed should be of concern. Practical implications – The results reported in this paper are useful to internal auditing educators and regulators in their consideration of the skills needed by generalist internal auditors in e-business environment. Originality/value – This study sheds light on a significantly growing area which remains relatively unexplored in the auditing-related literature, e-business audit. The study provides empirical evidence on challenges facing internal auditors in an e-business environment, thereby serving as a wake-up call, to both internal auditors and the professional bodies representing them, to defend their jurisdictional space against rival professional groups.

Strategic orientations and performance of young ventures

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 666-686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishna Chandra Balodi
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Strategic Orientation ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technological Turbulence ◽  
Strategic Orientations ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Uk

Purpose Considering that entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and market orientation (MO) are antecedents of firm performance, and that technological turbulence (TT) and competitive intensity (CI) are present in different degrees in the business environment, the purpose of this paper is to address the following question in the context of young ventures: What is the contingent effect of TT and CI on MO–performance and EO–performance relationships? Design/methodology/approach This paper follows a deductive research approach. First, the literature on strategic orientation, opportunities, and dynamic capabilities (DCs) view are reviewed to formulate hypotheses. Then moderated hierarchical regression analysis is used on data collected from entrepreneurs/top managers of a multi-country (India and the UK) sample of young ventures. Findings The results of this study provide empirical evidence to the argument that both EO and MO, when looked from the universal approach, positively affect young ventures’ performance. The results show that young venture should consider environmental contingencies while choosing a strategic orientation. For resource-starved young ventures, EO is beneficial when the environment is intensely competitive, and MO is advantageous when the environment is technologically turbulent. Originality/value This study relies on the literature on opportunities and DCs view to arrive at hypotheses specific to young ventures. The paper empirically tests the assertions, finds support for the majority of them and reports unbiased estimates of the coefficients. It also clarifies the contrary observation made by some researchers in their study of orientation–performance relationship.

UK industrial strategy impact rests on implementation

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Green Paper ◽  
Policy Area ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Start Ups ◽  
Skill Shortages

Subject UK industrial strategy. Significance The UK government's industrial strategy responds to concerns about poor productivity, Brexit and the profound structural changes the economy is undergoing. ‘Building a Britain fit for the future' rests on five policy-area foundations -- ideas, people, infrastructure, business environment and places. Published on November 27 last year, the strategy was shaped by more than 2,000 responses to a green paper published in January the same year. Impacts Increasing R&D is key to narrowing the gap between the country's success in start-ups and its weakness scaling them up. R&D as a percentage of GDP is below the US, Chinese and German levels, undermining the goal of being the world’s most innovative nation. The STEM funds and the focus on technical as well as higher education will help fill possible post-Brexit labour and skill shortages.

Keeping the business afloat

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-220
Author(s):  
Max Menkiti ◽  
Trevor Ward
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Extensive Experience ◽  
Business Decisions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Informal Interview ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Boutique Hotels ◽  
Start Ups

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide first-hand experiences of running a hotel business in Nigeria from the perspective of an entrepreneur. Design/methodology/approach An informal interview was carried out via email. Max Menkiti is an entrepreneur in the hospitality industry with extensive experience in bootstrap start-ups and operations in the UK and Nigeria. He is currently the Director of Millennium Apartments and Studios in Lagos. Before that, he developed and operated the @venue series of boutique hotels. Max has over 11 years experience in the hospitality industry in Nigeria. Findings The interview offers valuable insights for researchers in hospitality industry entrepreneurship so as to understand the rationale for business decisions. Originality/value The backdrop for this paper is the business environment in Nigeria. The transcript makes available an insider’s view of the number and form of issues that entrepreneurs face in emerging economies.

scholarly journals The challenges of managing degree apprentices in the workplace

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Rowe ◽  
Daniel Moss ◽  
Neil Moore ◽  
David Perrin
Keyword(s):  
Education Institution ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Mentor Training ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Collaborative Processes ◽  
Supporting Degree ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Board Level ◽  
Near Future ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the issues and challenges facing employers as they manage degree apprentices in the workplace. It examines the relationship between managers and apprentices undertaking a work-based degree. This research is of particular relevance at this time because of the UK Government’s initiative to expand the number of apprenticeships in the workplace to three million new starts by 2020, inevitably bringing a range of pressures to bear on employers (BIS, 2015). The purpose is to share early experiences of employer management of degree apprenticeships, and provide a range of recommendations to develop and improve employer and higher education institution (HEI) practice. Design/methodology/approach This paper combines desk research with qualitative data drawn from interviews with a range of cross-sector organisations to investigate the employer’s experience of developing the new degree apprenticeships. Data are explored inductively using thematic analysis in order to surface dominant patterns and considers the implications of findings upon current and emerging HEI and employer practice and research. Findings There were a number of key themes which emerged from the data collected. These included the need for effective, employer-led recruitment processes, careful management of expectations, sound HEI retention strategies, employer involvement and board-level motivators to ensure organisational benefits are derived from effectively situated workplace learning and a focus upon effective, empowering mentoring and support strategies. Research limitations/implications As degree apprenticeship standards and programmes are currently at the early stages of implementation, and opportunities, funding and resourcing are rapidly changing in the context of government policy, so too will employer appetite and strategies for supporting degree apprentices, along with apprentice behaviour. This means that additional findings, beyond those highlighted within this paper, may emerge in the near future. Practical implications There are a number of practical implications supporting managerial development and support of degree apprentices in the workplace from this research. These are reflected in the findings, and include the development of flexible and collaborative processes, resources, mentor training and networks. Originality/value This paper is one of the first published accounts of the employers’ perspective of managing a degree apprenticeship within the new policy context in the UK. As a result, the work offers a unique insight into the emerging challenges and issues encountered by managers working with degree apprentices in the twenty-first century business environment.

The use of I3F in assessing facilities management industry maturity

Facilities ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (11/12) ◽  
pp. 793-808
Author(s):  
Maulidi A. Banyani ◽  
Danny S. S. Then
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Facilities Management ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Education Professional ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – This paper aims to present and discuss the results of the assessment of maturity of facilities management (FM) industries (FMi) in five countries, namely, Denmark, Hong Kong, Norway, Tanzania and the UK. The analysis is based on the “Integrated Feeder Factors Framework (I3F)”. I3F analyses maturity by assessing the progression and integration of the key factors essential for the maturity of the FMi, which are organisations practice, supply market, education, professional bodies, research and business environment. Design/methodology/approach – FM experts in respective countries were interviewed. Data were also gathered from official documents and websites. The collected evidences were analysed using pattern matching. Findings – The FM industry in the five case study countries are found at various levels of maturity. The UK exhibited high levels of maturity compared to other countries. Norway, Hong Kong and Denmark were at the same level with some notable differences, while Tanzania was at the lowest level. Practical implications – The research successfully tested the I3F. This sets foundation for assessing maturity of the FM industry at a country level. The assessment of maturity at a country level is important to FM stakeholders in charting out plans for its development and longevity. Originality/value – This is the first research which has assessed the maturity of FMi in five countries using an I3F. The results show the strength and weaknesses of the FMi in the five countries and point out areas which require stakeholders’ efforts to be improved or maintained.

scholarly journals Geopolitical disruptions and the manufacturing location decision in multinational company supply chains: a Delphi study on Brexit

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid Moradlou ◽  
Hendrik Reefke ◽  
Heather Skipworth ◽  
Samuel Roscoe
Keyword(s):  
Delphi Study ◽  
Imperfect Information ◽  
Location Decision ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Location ◽  
Eclectic Paradigm ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

PurposeThis study investigates the impact of geopolitical disruptions on the manufacturing supply chain (SC) location decision of managers in UK multinational firms. The context of study is the UK manufacturing sector and its response to the UK's decision to leave the European Union (EU), or Brexit.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts an abductive, theory elaboration approach and expands on Dunning's eclectic paradigm of international production. A Delphi study over four iterative rounds is conducted to gather and assess insights into manufacturing SC location issues related to Brexit. The panel consisted of 30 experts and managers from a range of key industries, consultancies, governmental organisations, and academia. The Delphi findings are triangulated using a focus group with 38 participants.FindingsThe findings indicate that the majority of companies planned or have relocated production facilities from the UK to the EU, and distribution centres (DCs) from the EU to the UK. This was because of market-seeking advantages (being close to major centres of demand, ease of access to local and international markets) and efficiency-seeking advantages (costs related to expected delays at ports, tariff and non-tariff barriers). Ownership and internalisation advantages, also suggested by the eclectic paradigm, did not play a role in the location decision.Originality/valueThe study elaborates on the OLI framework by showing that policy-related uncertainty is a primary influencing factor in the manufacturing location decision, outweighing the importance of uncertainty as an influencer of governance mode choices. The authors find that during geopolitical disruptions managers make location decisions in tight time-frames with incomplete and imperfect information, in situations of high perceived uncertainty. The study elaborates on the eclectic paradigm by explaining how managerial cognition and bounded rationality influence the manufacturing location decision-making process.

Supervisory mandate of central banks and the spate of bank failures: who is to blame?

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 341-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman Mugarura ◽  
Patience Namanya
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Data ◽  
Banking Regulation ◽  
Central Banks ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Bank Failures ◽  
Banking Supervision ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bank Supervision ◽  
The Uk

Purpose This paper aims to examine how central Banks (in the narrow purview of Bank of Uganda) exercise their supervisory mandate to foster an efficient sound business environment for banks to operate efficiently. The authors were motivated to write on the subject of bank supervision because of the closure of Crane Bank and putting it under administration in 2016. The closure of this bank generated a lot of controversies on both sides of the political divide and in the press. Initially, the popular view was that Crane bank was poorly supervised, and as a result, it was exploited by insiders to commit money laundering, fraud, insider dealing, just to mention but a few. This put Bank of Uganda (the Central Bank) in a negative spotlight for failure to provide the required oversight of this bank. In Uganda, the supervision of banks and other financial institutions is the responsibility of Bank of Uganda. Design/methodology/approach The authors adopted a qualitative research approach using secondary data sources, including books, journal papers and websites, and evaluating primary legislation but also empirical evidence both in Uganda and other jurisdictions. The secondary data was evaluated to draw comparative analyses of causes of banks failures in countries both in Africa, Europe, USA and others jurisdictions across the globe. Findings It would be onerous to charge central banks with the responsibility of preventing bank failures, even though they would are required to institute measures to prevent banks from collapsing and its ripple effects on the economy. Effective banking supervision is a core factor for the success of every bank, but it cannot single-handedly prevent a bank from collapsing. A well-supervised bank can also fail not necessarily because of inherent weaknesses within its banking supervision, but it could fail because of extraneous factors beyond the control of individual banks. For example, Lehman Brothers Ltd (a highly leveraged of broker dealers) collapsed due to factors beyond its control, the Northern Rock and Royal Bank of Scotland in the UK were nationalised by the British Government. Research limitations/implications The limitation of the paper was that data on central banks and failed banks both in Uganda and other jurisdictions (the scope of the paper) was overwhelming, and it was daunting to sift through and analyse it in depth. Practical implications Banks play a fundamental role in the social-economic development of countries, and how they are regulated is significantly important for the stability of economies. They provide loans, guarantees and other financial products to businesses, and they are engines for economic growth and development. Social implications Banks affect, people, societies, businesses, markets and governments. Therefore, this paper has wider implications for the foregoing constituencies. Originality/value The originality of the paper is that this paper is unique, draws experiences across jurisdictions and evaluates in the narrow purview of banking regulation in Uganda.

Manufacturing location decisions and organizational agility

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Theyel ◽  
Kay H. Hofmann
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Location Decisions ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Customer Requirements ◽  
Organizational Agility ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Operations ◽  
Constant Change ◽  
Manufacturing Location

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the strategic consequences of manufacturing location decisions, with a focus on understanding the link between collocating manufacturing with other value chain activities, via reshoring or retaining and organizational agility. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses qualitative data from 115 interviews with executives from UK high value manufacturing companies to explore the recent phenomenon of reshoring and the strategic effects of manufacturing location. Findings The location of manufacturing is operationally and strategically important for multinational companies. The spatial dispersion of manufacturing is determined by firm-specific and external factors, both of which are subject to constant change. The analysis shows that concentrating on manufacturing in their home countries enables firms to increase organizational agility and stimulate innovation. Better integration with and more extensive collaboration between related value chain activities, such as research and development, sales and marketing, leads to higher flexibility, speed and responsiveness to customer requirements. However, under certain conditions, firms also continue to benefit from the known advantages of offshoring. Originality/value This research sheds light on possible strategic downsides of global value chains, characterized by dispersed activities and intermitted processes. The results provide evidence that retaining manufacturing or bringing back manufacturing operations to a company’s home country can increase organizational flexibility, speed, adaptability, innovativeness and responsiveness to customer requirements. As these capabilities are critical for long-term survival, especially in dynamic environments, firms need to review their global factory configurations and determine whether the short-term advantages of foreign locations continue to justify offshoring practices.

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