Developing “Extra Distance” as a measure for the evaluation of road freight transport performance

2014 ◽  
Vol 63 (7) ◽  
pp. 822-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasco Sanchez Rodrigues ◽  
John Cowburn ◽  
Andrew Potter ◽  
Mohamed Naim ◽  
Anthony Whiteing
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Distance Measure ◽  
Distribution Networks ◽  
Freight Transport ◽  
Performance Measure ◽  
Primary Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Road Freight ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a measure that links the causes and consequences of disruptions in freight transport operations. Such a measure is needed to quantify the scale of impact and identify the root causes of disruptions. Design/methodology/approach – In order to develop this measure, an inductive approach was adopted, using four primary case studies to test the measure in an industrial environment. The case studies are from the fast moving consumer goods sector with primary and secondary distribution networks included. The “Extra Distance” measure has been evaluated against established generic criteria that define the quality of any performance measure. Findings – The research indicates good compliance with the criteria used to evaluate the “Extra Distance” measure. The measure is also found to be useful for practitioners who are able to directly relate the measure to their distribution network operations. Research limitations/implications – Further research should see the “Extra Distance” measure further tested in other freight transport operations and industrial sectors. Practical implications – The measure is directly related to a number of causes of uncertainty which helps freight transport managers to quickly identify potential solutions. The “Extra Distance” measure can be used to quantify the effects of disruptions which can occur in road freight transport networks generate unnecessary cost within distribution networks, potentially eroding profit margins which are known to be very low in the road freight transport industry. Originality/value – This paper presents a novel approach to the assessment of the impact caused by uncertainty within freight transport operations.

scholarly journals The use of ICT in road freight transport for CO2 reduction – an exploratory study of UK’s grocery retail industry

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingli Wang ◽  
Vasco Sanchez Rodrigues ◽  
Leighton Evans
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Distribution Networks ◽  
Freight Transport ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Retail Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Road Freight

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate empirically how information and communication technologies (ICT) can contribute to reduction of CO2 emissions in road freight transport and to identify opportunities for further improvements. Design/methodology/approach – This research adopts a multiple case study approach with three leading UK grocery retailers as exemplars of fast-moving consumer goods retailers, conducted using multiple data collection techniques including interviews, system demonstrations, onsite observations and the use of archive information. Findings – ICT solutions have a direct positive impact on CO2 emissions reduction but opportunities to further reduce CO2 emissions are perceived as lying beyond retailers’ own distribution networks. These opportunities are not fully utilised due to the complexities of collaborative ICT provisions and retailers’ reluctance to share information with competitors. Research limitations/implications – A limitation of the study is that it is exploratory and only three cases were examined. Even though these three retailers represent over 60 per cent of the UK grocery retail sector, other retailers may deploy significantly different ICT applications. Practical implications – The research provides an overarching insight for businesses on how to leverage the existing and emerging information technologies for environmental and economic benefits. Originality/value – While sustainability issues have received increasing attention recently, the role of ICT in freight transport for CO2 emissions reduction has not been investigated in depth and its impact is largely unknown. This research advances understanding about how ICT contributes CO2 emissions reductions and provides a framework for further investigation.

Influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on firm performance: the business value of AI-based transformation projects

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1893-1924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serge-Lopez Wamba-Taguimdje ◽  
Samuel Fosso Wamba ◽  
Jean Robert Kala Kamdjoug ◽  
Chris Emmanuel Tchatchouang Wanko
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Business Value ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe main purpose of our study is to analyze the influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on firm performance, notably by building on the business value of AI-based transformation projects. This study was conducted using a four-step sequential approach: (1) analysis of AI and AI concepts/technologies; (2) in-depth exploration of case studies from a great number of industrial sectors; (3) data collection from the databases (websites) of AI-based solution providers; and (4) a review of AI literature to identify their impact on the performance of organizations while highlighting the business value of AI-enabled projects transformation within organizations.Design/methodology/approachThis study has called on the theory of IT capabilities to seize the influence of AI business value on firm performance (at the organizational and process levels). The research process (responding to the research question, making discussions, interpretations and comparisons, and formulating recommendations) was based on a review of 500 case studies from IBM, AWS, Cloudera, Nvidia, Conversica, Universal Robots websites, etc. Studying the influence of AI on the performance of organizations, and more specifically, of the business value of such organizations’ AI-enabled transformation projects, required us to make an archival data analysis following the three steps, namely the conceptual phase, the refinement and development phase, and the assessment phase.FindingsAI covers a wide range of technologies, including machine translation, chatbots and self-learning algorithms, all of which can allow individuals to better understand their environment and act accordingly. Organizations have been adopting AI technological innovations with a view to adapting to or disrupting their ecosystem while developing and optimizing their strategic and competitive advantages. AI fully expresses its potential through its ability to optimize existing processes and improve automation, information and transformation effects, but also to detect, predict and interact with humans. Thus, the results of our study have highlighted such AI benefits in organizations, and more specifically, its ability to improve on performance at both the organizational (financial, marketing and administrative) and process levels. By building on these AI attributes, organizations can, therefore, enhance the business value of their transformed projects. The same results also showed that organizations achieve performance through AI capabilities only when they use their features/technologies to reconfigure their processes.Research limitations/implicationsAI obviously influences the way businesses are done today. Therefore, practitioners and researchers need to consider AI as a valuable support or even a pilot for a new business model. For the purpose of our study, we adopted a research framework geared toward a more inclusive and comprehensive approach so as to better account for the intangible benefits of AI within organizations. In terms of interest, this study nurtures a scientific interest, which aims at proposing a model for analyzing the influence of AI on the performance of organizations, and at the same time, filling the associated gap in the literature. As for the managerial interest, our study aims to provide managers with elements to be reconfigured or added in order to take advantage of the full benefits of AI, and therefore improve organizations’ performance, the profitability of their investments in AI transformation projects, and some competitive advantage. This study also allows managers to consider AI not as a single technology but as a set/combination of several different configurations of IT in the various company’s business areas because multiple key elements must be brought together to ensure the success of AI: data, talent mix, domain knowledge, key decisions, external partnerships and scalable infrastructure.Originality/valueThis article analyses case studies on the reuse of secondary data from AI deployment reports in organizations. The transformation of projects based on the use of AI focuses mainly on business process innovations and indirectly on those occurring at the organizational level. Thus, 500 case studies are being examined to provide significant and tangible evidence about the business value of AI-based projects and the impact of AI on firm performance. More specifically, this article, through these case studies, exposes the influence of AI at both the organizational and process performance levels, while considering it not as a single technology but as a set/combination of the several different configurations of IT in various industries.

The impact of project methodologies on project success in different project environments

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 364-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Joslin ◽  
Ralf Müller
Keyword(s):  
Project Success ◽  
Research Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Project Environment ◽  
Project Governance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Matching Techniques ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to qualitatively validate the constructs of a theoretically derived research model while gaining insights to steer the direction of a greater study on methodologies, their elements, and their impact on project success. In doing so, to investigate whether different project environments, notably project governance, impacts the relationship between methodologies and project success. Design/methodology/approach – A deductive approach was applied to validate a theoretically derived research model. In total, 19 interviews across 11 industrial sectors and four countries were used to collect data. Pattern-matching techniques were utilized in the analysis to deductively validate the research model. Findings – There is a positive relationship between project methodology elements and the characteristics of project success; however, environmental factors, notably project governance, influence the use and effectiveness of a project methodology and its elements with a resulting impact on the characteristics of project success. Research limitations/implications – Project governance plays a major role in the moderating effect of a project methodology’s effectiveness. Contingency theory is applicable to a project’s methodology’s selection and its customization according to the project environment. Practical implications – Understand the impact of project methodologies and their elements on the characteristics of project success while being moderated by the project environment, for example, the risk of suboptimal project performance due to the effectiveness of methodology elements being negatively impacted by the project environment. Originality/value – The impact of a project methodology (collection of heterogeneous-related elements) on the characteristics of project success is identified while being moderated by the project environment, notably project governance.

Impact of training on entrepreneurial intention: an interactive cognitive perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 593-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fayçal Boukamcha
Keyword(s):  
Training Program ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intention ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Cognitive Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Entrepreneurial Training ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper aims to clarify the impact of the entrepreneurial training on a Tunisian trainee’s entrepreneurial cognitions and intention. An interactive cognitive perspective was adopted to test the interaction effect between the entrepreneurial cognitions: the perceived entrepreneurial self-efficacy, the perceived entrepreneurial feasibility and entrepreneurial desirability. A research model was built showing several relationships between entrepreneurial training, cognitions and intention. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted on a convenience sample of 240 participants in four business incubators. The maximum-likelihood test was used as a structural equation modeling method to test the model. Findings – The results show the importance of the entrepreneurial training in the development of entrepreneurial cognitions. Further, the findings, to some extent, validate the interaction between the entrepreneurial cognitive patterns. However, entrepreneurial intention was only predicted through the entrepreneurial desirability. Several implications are discussed at the end of this paper. Practical implications – The findings seem interesting insofar, as they show the importance of entrepreneurial trainings in the entrepreneurial intention development through the enhancement of desirability. This process can be triggered by a training program that contains case studies, success stories and conferences to make the youth enthusiastic about self-employment. Originality/value – The significant impact of the entrepreneurial training on trainees’ cognitions should encourage governments and incubators to promote entrepreneurial training programs to enhance the youths’ willingness to create their own businesses. The findings in this paper seem interesting insofar as they show the importance of entrepreneurial trainings in the entrepreneurial intention development through the enhancement of desirability. This process can be triggered by a training program that contains case studies, success stories and conferences to make the youth enthusiastic about self-employment.

VIKOR power law-based customer-oriented FMEA with complete unique risk priority numbers

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Randula L. Hettiarachchi ◽  
Pisut Koomsap ◽  
Panarpa Ardneam
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Failure Modes ◽  
Risk Priority Number ◽  
Effect Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Inherent Problem

PurposeAn inherent problem on risk priority number (RPN) value duplication of traditional failure modes and effect analysis (FMEA) also exists in two customer-oriented FMEAs. One has no unique value, and another has 1% unique values out of 4,000 possible values. The RPN value duplication has motivated the development of a new customer-oriented FMEA presented in this paper to achieve practically all 4,000 unique values and delivering reliable prioritization.Design/methodology/approachThe drastic improvement is the result of power-law and VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR). By having all three risk factors in a power-law form, all unique values can be obtained, and by applying VIKOR to these power-law terms, the prioritization is more practical and reliable.FindingsThe proposed VIKOR power law-based customer-oriented FMEA can achieve practically all 4,000 unique values and is tested with two case studies. The results are more logical than the results from the other two customer-oriented FMEAs.Research limitations/implicationsThe evaluation has been done on two case studies for the service sector. Therefore, additional case studies in other industrial sectors will be required to confirm the effectiveness of this new customer-oriented RPN calculation.Originality/valueAchieving all 1,000 unique values could only be done by having experts tabulate all possible combinations for the traditional FMEA. Therefore, achieving all 4,000 unique values will be much more challenging. A customer-oriented FMEA has been developed to achieve practically all 4,000 unique risk priority numbers, and that the prioritization is more practical and reliable. Furthermore, it has a connection to the traditional FMEA, which helps explain the traditional one from a broader perspective.

Leading the way: how project manager strengths can influence team resilience

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Project Manager ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Signature Strengths ◽  
Team Resilience ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings The study takes empirical data from three case studies of projects that have faced setbacks to explore the impact of project manager signature strengths on team resilience and finds that four signature strengths, leadership, open-mindedness, persistence and hope, were present in project managers across all three case studies. Originality The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Linkage analysis using geographical proximity: a test of the efficacy of distance measures

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shumpei Haginoya ◽  
Aiko Hanayama ◽  
Tamae Koike
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Euclidean Distance ◽  
Distance Measure ◽  
Distance Measures ◽  
Manhattan Distance ◽  
Geographical Proximity ◽  
Discrimination Accuracy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Shortest Route ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to compare the accuracy of linking crimes using geographical proximity between three distance measures: Euclidean (distance measured by the length of a straight line between two locations), Manhattan (distance obtained by summing north-south distance and east-west distance) and the shortest route distances. Design/methodology/approach A total of 194 cases committed by 97 serial residential burglars in Aomori Prefecture in Japan between 2004 and 2015 were used in the present study. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare linked (two offenses committed by the same offender) and unlinked (two offenses committed by different offenders) pairs for each distance measure. Discrimination accuracy between linked and unlinked crime pairs was evaluated using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Findings The Mann–Whitney U test showed that the distances of the linked pairs were significantly shorter than those of the unlinked pairs for all distance measures. Comparison of the AUCs showed that the shortest route distance achieved significantly higher accuracy compared with the Euclidean distance, whereas there was no significant difference between the Euclidean and the Manhattan distance or between the Manhattan and the shortest route distance. These findings give partial support to the idea that distance measures taking the impact of environmental factors into consideration might be able to identify a crime series more accurately than Euclidean distances. Research limitations/implications Although the results suggested a difference between the Euclidean and the shortest route distance, it was small, and all distance measures resulted in outstanding AUC values, probably because of the ceiling effects. Further investigation that makes the same comparison in a narrower area is needed to avoid this potential inflation of discrimination accuracy. Practical implications The shortest route distance might contribute to improving the accuracy of crime linkage based on geographical proximity. However, further investigation is needed to recommend using the shortest route distance in practice. Given that the targeted area in the present study was relatively large, the findings may contribute especially to improve the accuracy of proactive comparative case analysis for estimating the whole picture of the distribution of serial crimes in the region by selecting more effective distance measure. Social implications Implications to improve the accuracy in linking crimes may contribute to assisting crime investigations and the earlier arrest of offenders. Originality/value The results of the present study provide an initial indication of the efficacy of using distance measures taking environmental factors into account.

Accountability and governance in social care: the impact of personalisation

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Bracci
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Public Governance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
New Public ◽  
Governance Process ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The aim of the paper is to illustrate the changing structure of accountability under a new public governance agenda introduced in England to deliver social care through personal budgets. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on accountability and public governance literature, in particular, the accountability framework proposed by Hupe and Hill. The evidence was gathered from exploratory case studies conducted in two English County Councils. Findings – The introduction of personal budgets has modified the roles of the different actors involved in the co-production of social services. The case studies evidence changes in the accountability and governance process, particularly with respect to the personal budget regime that has devolved responsibility and accountability to the customer. Specifically, the customer's role has shifted and expanded in the accountability chain and thus developed into a partnership. Originality/value – This study is one of the first to analyse the relationship between the personalisation agenda in English social services and the relevant accountability mechanisms involved. Moreover, the paper refines the theoretical framework proposed by Hupe and Hill according to the different role the public now plays.

By the seat of your pants

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 33-35
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Cutting Edge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds his/her own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings The aim of the research here was to investigate the impact experiential learning can have on an organization, and what kind of factor the stress of leadership can be. It was found that increased heart rate and engagement can improve learning in stressful situations. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

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