System dynamics applications in performance measurement research: progress and challenges

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olufunke Oladimeji ◽  
Jennifer Cross ◽  
Heather Keathley-Herring
Keyword(s):  
System Dynamics ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Applications

PurposeA systematic literature review (SLR) was used to identify and analyze literature related to use of system dynamics (SD) applications in organizational performance measurement (PM) research. The purpose of this article is to present the results of a thematic analysis (TA) conducted to synthesize existing empirical evidence, investigate trends and evaluate developments in the research area.Design/methodology/approachA SLR was conducted resulting in a dataset of 97 articles in this research area. Using TA, major themes/subthemes were inductively synthesized to explore the current development and emerging trends and provide guidance for future research.FindingsThe TA resulted in seven themes in the research area – Enhancing knowledge, Approaches to operationalizing PM systems, Utilizing simulation models, Improving organizational outcomes, Achieving strategic alignment, Applying systems thinking and Identifying critical variables. The analysis suggests that although SD has the potential to improve PM systems, there are many limitations and challenges that must be addressed to improve implementation and practical applications. In addition, the results showed that much of the work is exploratory and many fail to fully validate their models suggesting that this research is still in an relatively early phase of development.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this study are limited to the 97 articles identified using the SLR protocol. Although the search was designed to be comprehensive, there may be other relevant literature that was excluded. Further, the TA was limited to addressing the research questions.Practical implicationsA key insight for managers is that these tools would support decision-makers in understanding performance behaviors and identifying performance drivers for improvement. This suggests that stakeholders can adopt the approach to improve understanding and effectiveness of PM, and to enhance strategic decision-making.Originality/valueThis study provides a distinct and thorough analysis of this research area by conducting an inductive synthesis of developments and challenges and guidance for future research and practice. The resulting thematic model, identified code definitions and proposed framework of strategies to overcome challenges, provide a general overview and resource to support future studies in the research area and facilitate practical use of SD capabilities to support PM.

System dynamics applications in performance measurement research

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 1541-1578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olufunke Olufunmi Oladimeji ◽  
Heather Keathley-Herring ◽  
Jennifer A. Cross
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
System Dynamics ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Bibliometric Analysis ◽  
English Language ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
Current State

PurposeThis study investigates system dynamics (SD) applications in performance measurement (PM) research and practice. A bibliometric analysis was conducted to investigate the maturity of this research area and identify opportunities for development.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to provide a comprehensive and rigorous review of the existing literature. The search was conducted on 10 platforms identifying 97 publications, which were evaluated using bibliometric analysis.FindingsThe analysis revealed that applications of SD are most commonly used in the PM system design phase to model organisational performance. In addition, the bibliometric results showed a highly dispersed author set, with most studies using exploratory methods, suggesting that the research is in a relatively early stage of development. The results also showed that over 50 per cent of the causal models were not validated, emphasizing an important methodological gap in this research area.Research limitations/implicationsThis SLR is limited to indexed publications on 10 platforms, the search strategy was relatively precise and only available papers in English language were used for the literature review.Practical implicationsPM systems supported by SD can help managers understand and improve organisational behaviours by addressing dynamic complexities and relationship between variables. This study evaluates the maturity of this research area including information about the current development of this area and opportunities to build on existing knowledge.Originality/valueThis study identifies how SD approaches are applied to PM and highlights areas that require further research consideration. This paper is the first of two publications to result from this study and focuses on evaluating the current state of this research area.

Maintenance and sustainability: a systematic review of modeling-based literature

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Afef Saihi ◽  
Mohamed Ben-Daya ◽  
Rami Afif As'ad
Keyword(s):  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Environmental Aspect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Maintenance Decisions ◽  
Dimension One

PurposeMaintenance is a critical business function with a great impact on economic, environmental and social aspects. However, maintenance decisions' planning has been driven by merely economic and technical measures with inadequate consideration of environmental and social dimensions. This paper presents a review of the literature pertaining to sustainable maintenance decision-making models supported by a bibliometric analysis that seeks to establish the evolution of this research over time and identify the main research clusters.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review, supported with a bibliometric and network analysis, of the extant studies is conducted. The relevant literature is categorized based on which sustainability pillar, or possibly multiple ones, is being considered with further classification outlining the application area, modeling approach and the specific peculiarities characterizing each area.FindingsThe review revealed that maintenance and sustainability modeling is an emerging area of research that has intensified in the last few years. This fertile area can be developed further in several directions. In particular, there is room for devising models that are implementable, based on reliable and timely data with proven tangible practical results. While the environmental aspect has been considered, there is a clear scarcity of works addressing the social dimension. One of the identified barriers to developing applicable models is the lack of the required, accurate and timely data.Originality/valueThis work contributes to the maintenance and sustainability modeling research area, provides insights not previously addressed and highlights several avenues for future research. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first review that looks at the integration of sustainability issues in maintenance modeling and optimization.

scholarly journals Performance measurement approach for innovation capability in SMEs

2016 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minna Saunila
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Current Literature ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Innovation Capability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Key Issues

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a framework for improving innovation capability through performance measurement in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The development of an organisation’s innovation capability is considered increasingly important in the current literature. Developing such capability is essential, as innovation plays a key role in the survival and growth of organisations. A review of current literature highlights the need for a framework on the development of innovation capability, especially in SMEs. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review was used to form an understanding of previous work in the research area. Previous literature was used to define the key concepts and further to build the conceptual framework. Findings – As a result of the study, a framework for improving innovation capability through performance measurement in SMEs is presented. Key issues that must be addressed are highlighted and discussed. Practical/implications – The paper contains suggestions for improving innovation capability through performance measurement. Using the results of this study, practitioners can enhance their innovation capability by measurement and by taking better account of different situations regarding the development of innovation capability. The framework clarifies the issue of how innovation capability and its determinants can be managed through measurement, and therefore it assists especially SMEs in their attempts to cope with the increasing need for innovation as an asset of their business performance. Originality/value – There are very few examples in the current literature of frameworks for the issue, especially for SMEs. The role of performance measurement in developing innovation capability is also ignored in the current literature. The paper is relevant for academics, as it clarifies the existing body of knowledge and provides a platform for future research.

Retrospective: why do customers switch? The dynamics of satisfaction versus loyalty

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 569-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Banwari Mittal
Keyword(s):  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Data ◽  
High Satisfaction ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
New Research ◽  
As Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to revisit the 1998 paper (“Why do customers switch […]”) published in this journal with the goal of documenting research progress since then and identifying gaps still present in the knowledge base on the relevant key issues. Design/methodology/approach The method is literature review, theoretical scrutiny and critical reflections on the findings of the research studies over the past two decades that deal with customer satisfaction, loyalty and switching behaviors, with particular emphasis on service businesses. Findings The core issue of why satisfaction may not explain loyalty has been examined by positing other co-predictors and moderators of loyalty such as relationship quality, price value, trust, image, etc. These predictors have been found significant, implying that satisfaction is not the only driver of customer loyalty. Additionally, other drivers of switching and staying behavior have been established such as attraction of the alternatives and switching costs, respectively. This paper points out, however, that the gains of the new research literature are attenuated due to assumption of linearity in the loyalty effects of satisfaction and due to a lack of separate analyses of customer segments who defy the satisfaction–loyalty logic. Research limitations/implications The relevant literature is so vast that any account of it within the scope of this paper had to be by design delimited. The paper not only sampled the literature selectively but also summarized the principal findings of the selected papers over-simplistically. Interested readers must get a firsthand read of the reviewed literature. Practical implications The spotlight on the nonlinearity implies that practitioners should analyze customer data separately for customer segments that experience low, moderate and high satisfaction, and also separately for segments that show the expected positive satisfaction–loyalty relationship versus those who would defect despite being satisfied. Originality/value Against the backdrop where most academic as well as industry research had presumed a positive loyalty effect of satisfaction, the 1998 paper drew attention to segments of consumers who exhibited the contrarian loyalty behavior. The present paper shines a light on that topic with even sharper focus, highlighting six unaddressed issues that must frame future research.

A unique index with the explicit cost related to forecast

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 518-535
Author(s):  
Sanjay Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Inventory Management ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Demand Forecasting ◽  
Product Family ◽  
Basic Unit ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Unique Index

Purpose The present paper aims to draw an attention towards the inclusion of forecast related costs. Its main purpose is to initiate a new line of research/practice including the forecasting expenditure. Design/methodology/approach After a relevant review of supply chain/procurement/production planning related literature, it has been observed that the existing work lacks an explicit inclusion of the cost concerned with forecast. The increased cost of forecasting is expected to enhance the forecasting accuracy. At a higher level, product family is considered for the analysis. However, a basic unit of analysis is always a single item production/procurement situation. Therefore, this situation has been discussed analytically with the use of the fundamental equations and an explicit inclusion of forecasting cost for the first time in the relevant literature. Numerous practical applications have been discussed at strategic and operational level. A framework is also presented for future research in this area. Findings A specific contribution of the present paper is an approach towards a unique index for relative forecasting expenditure. The suggested index will be useful for comparison purpose. Also, it can be used as a benchmark that can be improved in future. Practical implications The case is explained when cycle time is invariant after discussing the other potential applications. Usefulness of the proposed methodology and the index is discussed for the business organizations operating independently or in the supply chains. Originality/value On the basis of the forecast, a production or procurement plan is generated in many of the industrial or business situations. In the context of supply chain/production/inventory management, focus is more on demand forecasting techniques or generation of the forecasts in the existing literature. However, the increased costs concerning forecasts are expected to provide more accurate prediction. Therefore, the originality lies in an inclusion of forecast related costs.

Economics of ageing: research area and perspectives

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert Meiners
Keyword(s):  
Relevant Literature ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Scientific Publication ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Demographic Development ◽  
Scientific Publications ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Economics Of Ageing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the latest findings on the economic potential of ageing and compare them primarily from a consumables perspective. The relevant question relating to this research was: What are the economic consequences of the demographic development in relation to consumer demand for products and services in old age? Design/methodology/approach – Narrative systematic publications were thoroughly reviewed and collated. A systematic search was carried out in journals, books, databases, the internet as well as within the scientific community from November 2012 to May 2013. Findings – A total of 115 relevant scientific publications were identified in this review (from 1964 to 2013). In order to gain an actual overview of the relevant literature, the results show the most recent publications from 2000 to 2013. Research limitations/implications – There are three limitations within this paper: First, the search process used only four databases. Second, this review only took into account publications in English and German. Therefore, the review may fail to encompass all published literature. Finally, this study did not endeavour to evaluate the methodological quality of each scientific publication. Study findings were taken as reported. Originality/value – This paper aims at analysing the economic potentials of ageing primarily from the perspective of consumption. The focus of this economics of ageing investigation is on the “demography-related” consequences in terms of the demand behaviour of the older consumers (the elderly as potential buyers). The paper deals with all the “silver economy” as a cross-sector campaign and research area for economics of ageing – a still fairly young discipline, both in science and in practical applications.

Private ethical fund investors across countries and time: a survey-based review

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 379-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anett Wins ◽  
Bernhard Zwergel
Keyword(s):  
Keyword Search ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Screening Criteria ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Responsible Investment ◽  
Private Investors ◽  
Ethical Funds ◽  
Fund Portfolio

Purpose – This paper aims to provide an overview of the literature to point out similarities and differences among private ethical investors across countries and time. Over the past three decades, many surveys have been conducted to advance the understanding of the demographic characteristics, motivation and morals of private ethical investors across countries and time. To date, the survey-based evidence on private investors into ethical funds is geographically rather segmented, and the research questions are fairly diverse. This permits only very temporally or regionally selective conclusions. Thereby, the authors identify interesting topics for future research. Design/methodology/approach – To identify the relevant literature for our review, the authors carried out a structured Boolean keyword search using major library services and databases. Findings – When questions about negative screening criteria are presented in a direct investment context, the consensus of private ethical investors “worldwide” (on average) is that social screening issues are most important, followed by ecological and moral topics. The percentage of ethical funds in the fund portfolio of the average private ethical investor in Europe seems to increase when the investor exhibits high degrees of pro-social attitudes and perceived consumer effectiveness. European private ethical investors are of the opinion that ethical funds perform worse but are less risky than conventional funds. Practical implications – The authors make suggestions on how investment companies should design their funds so that they can attract more socially responsible investors. Originality/value – The paper is of particular value because it focuses on private investors in the fast growing retail market of socially responsible investment funds.

Healthcare supply chain management: literature review and some issues

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhavana Mathur ◽  
Sumit Gupta ◽  
Makhan Lal Meena ◽  
G.S. Dangayach
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Sample Survey ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Potential Benefits

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the causal linkages among supply chain practices, effectiveness of supply chain performance (SCP) and organizational performance (OP) in Indian healthcare industries.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is helpful in developing a framework for linking a healthcare supply chain practice to its OP, and thus identifies how such a linkage can be connected to the effectiveness of SCP. Such effort also enables the authors to derive a set of recommended supply chain practices for SC performance.FindingsFrom the literature review, this paper finds that, in the context of Indian healthcare industries, efficient SC performance may play a critical role for overall OP improvement, as there is a close interrelationship between supply chain management (SCM) practices and SCP that may have a more significant effect on OP improvement.Research limitations/implicationsThe principle limitation of the paper is that it is performed only in a particular industry and with a questionnaire survey which could be extended in future for other industries also. Another limitation of the paper is that it is focused only on the SCP of medical device and equipment supply chain which is a small portion of the whole healthcare supply chain, and therefore requires further research covering various other domains of healthcare supply chain. Another limitation of the study is that the sample survey has been taken from only one respondent per company at one point of time which may create biasness in the results. Thus, future research should collect data through multiple members from the organization.Practical implicationsThis study contributes to know the effect of SCM practices on healthcare SCP and provides a practical and useful tool to evaluate the extent of effectiveness of SCP and finally their impact on the healthcare OP. Finally, this study provides conceptual and descriptive literature regarding SCM practices that leads to improvement in healthcare performance.Social implicationsThis study adds to the knowledge on healthcare SCM performance by exploring the relationship between supply chain practices, healthcare SCP and healthcare OP and by developing and testing a research framework thus help in improving patient satisfaction.Originality/valueThis study attempts to show how the potential benefits of supply chain practices can no longer be ignored in healthcare supply chain.

Unveiling contemporary dimensions in the internationalisation of family firms through bibliometric analysis and thematic analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonal Thukral ◽  
Apoorva Jain
Keyword(s):  
Bibliometric Analysis ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
The Family ◽  
Research Stream

Purpose For sustaining a competitive advantage in the integrated world economy, it has become imperative for family firms to internationalise their operations in overseas markets. However, despite the growing set of literature, results are still inconclusive with respect to family firms’ internationalisation. Thus, this study aims to address this gap by systematically reviewing 142 articles (1991–2019) to help researchers in identifying and unfolding the unexplored themes in the underlying area. Design/methodology/approach For systematically reviewing articles, the study uses a three-step methodology following PRISMA guidelines, bibliometric analysis and thematic analysis. Descriptive statistics of 142 research articles are obtained through bibliometric analysis while thematic analysis is carried out to create themes or clusters of various factors relating to family firms’ internationalisation. Findings The current review uncovers the evolving trends in the research streams, most productive authors, top journals and articles, co-citation analysis, as well as the major themes surrounding the family firms’ internationalisation literature. Results from bibliometric analysis indicate that family firms’ internationalisation is an upcoming research area. Also, the review indicates an opportunity for scholars from developing nations to make significant contributions in the underlying research stream. Research limitations/implications Results from bibliometric and thematic analysis will help academicians and researchers in accumulating a holistic understanding relating to family firms’ internationalisation and understanding the upcoming trends in family firms’ research, thereby guiding the future research scope. Also, it will assist the family firms’ leaders and managers in understanding the important dynamics in overseas markets and various factors to be considered while planning their internationalisation. Originality/value Undertaking a systematic literature review presents readers with a state-of-the-art understanding of the underlying research topic. To the best of the knowledge, to date, the study is the first to conduct the review of literature through bibliometric analysis with the help of R Studio software in the field of family firms’ internationalisation. Also, the study is the first to review more than 100 research articles in the underlying area. Finally, the study proposes a comprehensive framework integrating the major themes and facets relating to family firms’ internationalisation.

Ambiguity in public sector performance measurement: a systematic literature review

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Oppi ◽  
Cristina Campanale ◽  
Lino Cinquini
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Academic Journal ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Study Results

PurposeThis paper presents a systematic literature review aiming at analysing how research has addressed performance measurement systems’ (PMSs) ambiguities in the public sector. This paper embraces the ambiguity perspective that PMSs in public sector coexist with and cope with existing ambiguities.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a literature review in Scopus and ScienceDirect, considering articles published since 1985, and the authors selected articles published in the journals included in the Association of Business Schools' Academic Journal Guide (Chartered ABS, 2018). Of the 1,278 abstracts that matched the study’s search criteria, the authors selected 131 articles for full reading and 37 articles for the final discussion.FindingsThe study's key findings concern the elements of ambiguity in PMSs discussed in the literature. The study’s results suggest that ambiguity is still a relevant problem in performance measurement, as a problem that is impossible to be solved and therefore needs to be better understood by researchers and public managers. The analysis allows us to summarize the antecedents and consequences of ambiguity in the public sector.Research limitations/implicationsThe key findings of the study concern the main sources of ambiguity in PMSs discussed in the literature, their antecedents and their consequences. The study results suggest that ambiguity exists in performance measurement and that is an issue to be handled with various strategies that can be implemented by managers and employees.Practical implicationsManagers and researchers may benefit from this research as it may represent a guideline to understand ambiguities in their organizations or in field research. Researchers may also benefit from a summary list of the key issues that have been analysed in the empirical cases provided by this research. Social implicationsThis research may provide insights to limit ambiguity and thus contribute to improve performance measurement in the public sector.Originality/valueThis research presents a comprehensive review on the topic. It provides insight that suggests what future research should attend to in helping to interpret ambiguity, considering also what should be done to influence ambiguity.

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