Supply Chain Management Practices and Manufacturing Firms Performance: Professionals’ Experience in Nigeria

Research purpose. The study aims at establishing how supply chain management (SCM) activities of manufacturing firms influence their performance optimally. Design/Methodology/Approach. The research design adopted for the study is the survey research design; this is because we were interested in gathering information from a selected strategic fraction of a target population as it is not possible to meet them all. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from two hundred and twenty-seven (227) professionals from the five selected manufacturing firms in Lagos. The data were analyzed by the structural equation modelling (SEM) technique to ascertain the causal effect of the latent exogenous variables on the latent endogenous variables in the study. Findings. Based on the results of the SEM adopted in testing the research hypotheses, strategic partnership has a statistically significant positive effect on customer satisfaction of manufacturing firms. Customer relationship management was revealed to have a positive effect on firm performance from the path analysis. This is substantiated by the path coefficient (0.35) of customer relationship management on performance proxied by customer satisfaction. However, information sharing has a weak positive effect on performance proxied by manufacturing efficiency. This is substantiated by the path coefficient (0.11) of information sharing on performance though the effect is not significant as p>0.05 and CR<1.96. Material flow management has a positive effect on performance proxied by manufacturing efficiency. This is substantiated by the path coefficient (0.30) of material flow management on firm performance. There is a positive effect of lean production on performance proxied by innovation performance. This is substantiated by the path coefficient (0.25) of lean production on performance. Finally, participative design/engineering was revealed to have a positive effect on performance proxied by innovation performance. This is substantiated by the path coefficient (0.23) of participative design/engineering on performance. Originality/Value/Practical implications. This paper demonstrates that a higher degree of acceptance, application, and enhancement in SCM methods would directly increase the performance of manufacturing firms, especially in third world countries.

Developing an Innovative Medical Training Simulation Device for Peripheral Venous Access: A User-Centered Design Approach

Nurses and other health students may lack the proper time for training procedural tasks, such as peripheral venous access. There is a need to develop these abilities in novices so that errors can be avoided when treating real patients. Nonetheless, from an experiential point of view, the simulation devices offered in the market do not always make sense for educators and trainees. This could make the adoption of new technology difficult. The purpose of this case study is to describe the development of an innovative simulation device and to propose concrete tactics for the involvement of the educators and trainees. We used a participative design based approach, with an ethnographic basis, where incremental cycles of user testing, development and iteration were involved. The study showcases methods from the field of design and anthropology that can be used to develop future simulation devices that resonate with students and educators to achieve a long term learning experience. Results could shed a light on new ways for the involvement of educators and students to create devices that resonate with them, making learning significant and effective.

TOWARDS A DESIGN OBSERVATORY: THE CASE OF SCHOLARLY DESIGN RESEARCH IN PORTUGAL

The DesignOBS project was created to collect, map and interpret data about the Portuguese Design Ecosystem, providing supportive information for decision making. This study takes advantage of a participative Design perspective to define and test an observation process via a case based on Design doctorates undertaken in Portugal. It emphasises the need for additional participatory analysis and curation by experts to evaluate and develop more reliable information about the discipline. Moreover, it develops recommendations that can enhance the communicability of Design doctorates.

Developing Community’s Sense of Belonging in Building Bahari Community Center (RPTRA) in South Jakarta

Capital city is full of layered memories from the authority in representing power and identity and from the everyday uses of place. Public space often represents and legitimates power. The use of top down approach in design is imminent and authority uses architecture and urban design as their means of showing identity. However, good urban design approach should include public participation in the process, allowing the users to take in charge and contribute to the decision making. A good city should be designed based on common good for all. The bottom-up approach uses the participative design method to allow citizen to speak, be heard and take in charge. It ensures the sustainable activity as community would be involved in using the place and preserving the resources. Everyone contributes to the city as citizen members of political community. As the result, community would have sense of belonging and engagement towards the public space. This research documented and analysis this participative design approach during the development of Jakarta community center (RPTRA) in South Gandaria. As one of the pilot projects, Bahari community center was one of the successful projects that included community participation during the design and implementation process. Through observation, interview and series of discussion, authors were engaged in this action research of implementing bottom up approach in designing public space.

A Socio-Technical Perspective on the Digital Era: The Lowlands view

Given growing global competition, organisations face the dual challenge of creating workplaces that are, on the one hand, more productive, agile, and innovative, and on the other hand, healthy places to work.At the same time, we are facing a digital revolution with profound consequences in work and daily life. Digital technologies have potential opportunities, but also constraints. To make the transformation successful joint optimise of social and technical systems is necessary. The sociotechnical systems design theory (STS-D) and practice have focused the last 70 years on this challenge. Over the years, different STS lenses have developed like participative design (North America and Australia), democratic dialogue (Scandinavia) and organisation design (the Netherlands and Belgium, the Lowlands). All have in common the aim of designing modern organisations that are humane, productive, agile and innovative. Also, digital technology has developed over the years: from digitisation to digitalisation, and lately into digital transformation affecting societies, organisations and humans. With this article we take the Lowlands STS-D theory as perspective and we discover how this theory, especially the design sequence, should be adjusted to apply successful digital technology. First, we zoom in on digital technologies and its opportunities. Second, we zoom in on the STS-D Lowlands design theory its principles and organisational design sequence. The original design sequence requires adjustment from a digital technology perspective. We propose a combined approach from a digital-technical and social perspective. We end with new routines for designing modern 21stcentury organisations that facilitate organisational and digital experts to jointly optimise both perspectives in practice.

Political Representation In Urban Public Space In Jakarta Child-Friendly Public Space (Ruang Publik Terpadu Ramah Anak – RPTRA)

The design of public space often embodies the power and political representation of a specific regime. As urban architecture symbolizes and establishes the identity of a regime, authorities often use a top-down approach to implement urban architectural programs. As a result, the spaces constructed often display power and identity, but lack consideration of public use. Public spaces are often exclusionary for public use. They merely stand for the representation of the authority. Accordingly, many public spaces built by the government are abandoned soon after their launch. Big ceremonies and public space displays only last a few days before these spaces are then closed to the public or appropriated for different uses. Most top-down approaches focus on the physical development, overlooking the users’ inclusion in decision making. This research analyses the political representation of public space design in RPTRA Bahari located in the South Jakarta. It analyses the political reason behind the development of RPTRA in Jakarta and the way participative design approach is employed during the design process to get public engagement in public space. Therefore, it investigates how the political representation is perceived in everyday life by analysing how the public space has been used three years since its launch. Through observation and interviews, this paper interrogates the political representation in urban forms and how public spaces become an arena where the government’s intentions and everyday uses meet. It concludes that a participative, bottom-up approach leads to more public use and engagement.