Partners in new product development: SC Johnson and the alliance for environmental innovation

In the previous issue of CES (Winter 1999), SC Johnson's early efforts at integrating core business decisions with environmental concerns were explored by researchers at INFORM, Inc. By gaining upper management attention, explicitly aligning environmental concerns with key business goals, and designing consistency into the overall company management system, SC Johnson was able to “break down the green wall” in the organization.In this follow-up article, CES explores a recent effort between the Alliance for Environmental Innovation and SC Johnson to further integrate environmental decision making throughout the organization. The project focused on: (1) creating practical tools to identify environmental considerations at the earliest stages of new product development, and, (2) addressing consumers' environmental needs in the conception and marketing of “greener” products. The Alliance and SC Johnson formed a task force that included both staff members from the Alliance, as well as members of the environmental, product development, product safety and marketing staffs at SC Johnson. This unique partnership has aided SC Johnson by more directly linking consumer and company environmental objectives to the new product development process.     

Managing growth: New products and new markets at Monsanto

In a little more than a decade, bioengineering has moved from the esoteric halls of academia and R & D departments to the center stage of major corporate financial strategic planning. For many major chemical and refining companies, genetic manipulation is becoming the centerpiece of survival. Dupont, for instance, is considering getting rid of the $21-billion Conoco Company in order to devote resources to the development of, and more importantly, the marketing of bioengineered products. Monsanto, largely because of its emphasis on reducing the environmental impact of its agricultural products, is one of the few major corporations to cultivate profit from the soil surface through design for the environment. Monsanto's CEO, Robert Shapiro, has made the consideration of the company's impact on the environment dependent on the company's competetive future.     

考虑法律约束的两周期电子产品回收再制造决策研究

研究电子产品制造商面临政府回收法律约束时的再制造决策问题。第一个周期开始时,制造商生产并决定新产品的价格。当产品的生命周期到达时,面对政府制定的回收法律约束,制造商回收市场中的旧产品用于再制造。第二个周期开始时,制造商同时决策新产品和再造品的价格。研究发现：根据逆向运营成本(即回收成本与再制造成本之和)与新产品生产成本的不同组合,制造商对应五个不同的回收再制造策略;当逆向运营成本低于一定阈值时,法律强制回收不会影响企业的利润;而高于该阈值时,法律强制回收会减少企业的利润,因为较高的逆向运营成本使得企业没有意愿回收旧产品。此外,研究收集了实际数据并进行了案例分析,结果表明研究模型具有较强的稳健性。     

Economic Lot Scheduling Problem with Returns

Motivated by a case study of a company that produces car parts, we study the multi‐product economic lot scheduling problem for a hybrid production line with manufacturing of new products and remanufacturing of returned products. For this economic lot scheduling problem with returns (ELSPR), we consider policies with a common cycle time for all products, and with one manufacturing lot and one remanufacturing lot for each product during a cycle. For a given cycle time, the problem is formulated as a mixed integer linear programming (MIP) problem, which provides the basis for an exact solution. The application of this model for one of the core products of the case study company indicates a 16% reduction in cost compared to the current lot scheduling policy.     

Environmentally-conscious product stewardship at The Boeing Company

Environmentally-conscious product stewardship involves attempts to limit the impact of products on the environment. Early stewardship efforts within facilities (i.e., end of the pipe reduction) have given way to broader concepts of limiting environmental impact and extending efforts beyond the facility walls.The implementation of stewardship at The Boeing Company differs from that which might typically be found in a consumer products company. As Laurence Weinberg reveals in this article, this difference stems from the nature of Boeing as a company, the characteristics of its customers, the attributes of its products, and the areas of environmental concern associated with the life cycle of these products. At Boeing, stewardship is diffused throughout the company rather than being the responsibility of one organization.     

融合内容分析和关联分析的短生命周期体验品需求特征模式挖掘方法研究

挖掘特定产品的需求模式无法从整体掌握该类产品的市场特征;短生命周期体验品因缺乏历史销售数据,并且销售总量波动性极大,尤其需要从整体掌握销售总量与产品属性间关系的需求特征规律,但又难以挖掘,亟待提出适用于该类产品的需求特征模式挖掘方法。基于按销售总量分区后各区的需求特征的规律性,提出了一种按销售总量分区、以已有产品介绍集和销售总量为源信息、适用于新产品开发前使用、融合内容分析和关联分析的短生命周期体验品需求特征模式挖掘方法。该方法包括基于内容分析法的产品属性挖掘方法和基于关联分析的产品属性关系模式挖掘方法。前者可以得到较全面的产品属性;后者能够构建不同销售总量区间内产品集的属性关系模式,得到各区间的产品属性关系网,获得高销售总量区间具备,但中、低区间不具备的属性关系模式,从而获得需求特征模式。通过不断更新产品介绍集和销售总量并迭代挖掘,该方法能够动态挖掘需求特征模式。最后利用2013至2016年国产犯罪和爱情类电影数据验证了该方法的可行性,并得到了这两类电影的产品属性及近年的需求特征模式,可用于指导这两类电影的创作。     

研发/制造/营销跨职能整合与新产品开发：产品创新性的差异效应研究

本文考察了研发/制造/营销跨职能整合的前端驱动要素及跨职能整合对新产品开发绩效的提升机制。结果表明：联合创新激励、高层管理者支持、产品开发正式化和产品开发动态性是增强跨职能整合有效性的重要前因变量,跨职能整合提升了产品线协同和新产品开发绩效,产品线协同和新产品开发有助于增加企业市场绩效,而产品创新战略则在以上路径关系间发挥了差异效应影响。当企业开发低创新性产品时,高层管理者支持和产品开发正式化对跨职能整合的驱动效应以及产品线协同对企业市场绩效的促进作用要更大,而当企业开发高创新性产品时,联合创新激励和产品开发动态性对跨职能整合的正向影响以及研发/制造/营销跨职能整合对产品线协同和新产品开发绩效的驱动效应则更为显著。     

杜邦分析与价值判断——基于A股上市公司的实证研究

作为常用的综合性价值评价工具,杜邦分析通过将资产收益分解为利润率、资产周转率和权益乘数,以期更好地判断公司的价值及其变化。本文以A股上市公司为研究对象,探讨杜邦分析的核心指标和成分指标的信息含量,并对比分析传统与改进的杜邦分析方法在我国证券市场中的适用性。结果发现:在预测公司未来的盈利能力时,净资产收益率较经营净资产收益率有效;在拟合个股当期和预测未来的收益时,结果却相反;但无论是传统的、还是改进的杜邦财务成分指标,均不具有显著的增量信息提供能力。这表明在中国证券市场上,投资者在评价公司的价值时,应更多地关注杜邦分析的核心指标而不是其成分指标。     

政府碳税与补贴政策对外包再制造影响研究

为分析政府碳税与补贴政策对外包再制造影响,基于政府两种政策构建了外包再制造下制造/再制造博弈模型。基于博弈模型,对比分析政府两种对策对外包再制造下最优解的影响,研究主要得到：政府补贴政策可以有效提高废旧产品回收率,但只有当单位新产品碳税额度只有大于某一阈值时,政府碳税政策才会提高废旧产品回收率;政府采取补贴政策时,原始制造商通过降低单位再制造产品外包费用来获取政府补贴;政府采取碳税政策时,原始制造商通过提高单位新产品零售价格,把部分碳税转移给消费者;政府补贴政策可以同时增加原始制造商和再制造商收益;政府碳税政策可以增加再制造商收益,但只有单位新产品碳税额度大于某一阈值时,才可以增加原始制造商收益;当单位新产品对环境造成影响一定,并且单位再制造产品对环境造成影响与单位新产品对环境造成影响之比大于某一阈值时,政府补贴政策对环境造成影响最大、政府碳税政策对环境造成影响最小。     

存在议价能力和副产品协同生产的制造商最优产量决策

考虑由环保型制造商和处理厂构成的两级供应链结构，其中上游制造商进行主产品的生产，而下游处理厂通过对废料加工进行副产品的生产。基于供应链成员之间存在不同议价能力的情形，构建了上游制造商将产生的废料给下游进行处理的协同生产模式，给出了主产品的均衡产量决策和废料的最优交易价格以及制造商关于废料的最优处理策略。研究结果表明，制造商的废料处理策略取决于消费者对副产品产量的敏感程度。当消费者对副产品产量较敏感（不敏感）时，制造商会选择自己处理废料（给处理厂进行加工）。此外，随着制造商议价能力的上升，制造商的均衡利润上升，而处理厂的均衡利润下降。最后发现本文的基本结论在随机产出环境下依然稳健。     

Alternative Mechanisms Guiding Salespersons’ Ambidextrous Product Selling

Ambidextrous product‐selling strategies, in which companies’ salespeople concurrently pursue the sale of existing and new products, are hard to implement. Previous studies have addressed this issue for relatively simple consumer settings with the manager in close proximity to the salespersons and focusing on different levels of control and autonomy to resolve this issue. However, little is known about how field salespeople can be influenced to pursue such dual goals proactively for more complex business‐to‐business products. In this study, the authors distinguish between salespeople's proactive selling behaviour for new and existing products, and study the impact of two alternative mechanisms: a situational mechanism (i.e. perceived manager product‐selling ambidexterity) and a structural mechanism (i.e. salesperson organizational identification). Using a time‐lagged, multisource data set from a large ambidextrous company, the authors demonstrate that both mechanisms contribute to salespeople's proactive selling of new and existing products, but also act as each other's substitutes. The results suggest two most likely strategies for salespeople to obtain overall sales targets: focusing on existing product selling; or acting ambidextrously. The latter approach offers the benefits of better achieving ambidextrous company sales goals and of greater performance stability, and is thus preferred.     

刘克振:复制核心逻辑 全球化扩张需要具有可拷贝的单一商业模式

研发制造电脑卖给集成商,由集成商卖给最终用户,这是研华的核心模式。     

Early involvement in the design chain—a case study from the computer industry

This work presents a case study of how a design chain, with more than three tiers of organisations (customer, manufacturer, and supplier), can involve its members in the early stages of the design and development process to meet their needs more effectively. A vertical design chain model, consisting of strategy, process and information levels, is adopted to elucidate how a computer company can provide for different customers and use various suppliers to create synergy within the design chain. The results of this study demonstrate that the re-engineering of cross organisation product design flow, product data management software applications and the integration of information from various parties are critical to the early involvement in a vertical design chain. Based on this case study, the proposed early involvement model can shorten the time taken to develop new products and considerably reduce the number of engineering changes for various manufacturers.     

上下游市场存在竞争的企业集团转移定价研究

基于不对称的竞争环境,研究了企业集团的中间产品的转移定价问题,研究结果表明,中间产品的转移定价策略取决于上游子公司和上游竞争公司之间的不对称程度:当不对称程度较大时,企业集团应采取Hirshleifer的边际成本转移定价策略;当不对称程度较小时,企业集团应采取部分非中心化结构的转移定价策略。     

Product Orientation of Environmental Work

Product orientation of the environmental work of companies works for a reduction in the environmental impact of products in their total life cycle. In practise, to integrate the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) principle into the environmental work.A traditional environmental management system focuses on production. Product orientated environmental work involves all functions at the company. Tools and methods for the implementation of product orientation and management have been developed in a project financed by the Danish EPA.The results show that the approach towards product orientation should include: a LCA view, dialogue and co-operation, policies and methods, and integration in the environmental management system.For C.C. Jensen A/S (CCJ), the product orientation was initiated by establishment of a LCA view. The results have been integrated into CCJ's registration system, used for calculation of prices and for green accounts. The product orientation at CCJ has also resulted in an extended dialogue with their customers.     

Optimal Policies for Selling New and Remanufactured Products

Because of environmental and economic reasons, an increasing number of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) nowadays sell both new and remanufactured products. When both products are available, customers will buy the one that gives them a higher (and non‐negative) utility. Thus, if the firm does not price the products properly, then product cannibalization may arise and its revenue may be adversely impacted. In this paper, we study the pricing problem of a firm that sells both new and remanufactured products over a finite planning horizon. Customer demand processes for both new and remanufactured products are random and price‐sensitive, and product returns (also called cores) are random and remanufactured upon receipt. We characterize the optimal pricing and manufacturing policies that maximize the expected total discounted profit. If new products are made‐to‐order (MTO), we show that when the inventory level of remanufactured product increases, the optimal price of remanufactured product decreases while the price difference between new and remanufactured products increases; however, the optimal selling price of new product may increase or decrease. If new products are made to stock (MTS), then the optimal manufacturing policy is of a base‐stock policy with the base‐stock level decreasing in the remanufactured product inventory level. To understand the potential benefit in implementing an MTO system, we study the difference between the value functions of the MTO and MTS systems, and develop lower and upper bounds for it. Finally, we study several extensions of the base model and show that most of our results extend to those more general settings.     

Environmental improvement initiatives in the coal mining industry: maximisation of the triple bottom line

Abstract

Mining is an economically important industry, which faces several environmental and social challenges. Other than operational improvement activities, mining companies are increasingly paying attention to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and maximise social welfare to satisfy multiple stakeholders and the rise of corporate social responsible initiatives. Based on a case study analysis of coal mining companies we develop a triple bottom line (TBL) initiatives framework that provides a starting point for mining companies to develop a strategic approach to environmental improvement initiatives that can positively impact all elements of the TBL. We highlight four types of process and offset-based initiatives that are available to mining companies to reduce their GHGs, each having differential effects on elements of the TBL. Our findings suggest the importance of company-wide strategies of looking at initiatives through all rather than individual elements of the TBL. Such a strategy would provide an appropriate estimate of the costs and benefits of the initiatives and results in a balanced approach that takes care of operational improvement, reduces GHGs and improves the social welfare of people engaged in mining operations and wider society.     

A subsidized reverse supply chain in the Chinese electronics industry

We study a special environmental producer responsibility policy for the Chinese electronics industry that is based on awarding a per unit subsidy to qualified returned electronic products and ensuring a minimum producer collection volume while allowing larger collection volumes. Based on a real application from a Chinese electronics company that produces LCD TVs, our paper studies the optimal design of the product’s reverse supply chain when there is flexibility in settling the inspection locations of the returned products and flexibility in the volume of returned products collected. The problem is modeled as a nonlinear mixed-integer program and an efficient outer approximation-based solution approach is proposed. Analytical results and extensive numerical experiments based on this real application are conducted. Observations novel to the reverse logistics literature are related to the testing location decisions (upstream or downstream) and the optimal collection volumes of returned products. Particularly, we show how the government can stimulate the collection amount of returned products by increasing the unit subsidy and we also find that the company’s marginal benefit from improving the subsidy increases in a superlinear fashion. Furthermore, the highest collection volumes may not occur at the highest quality level of returned products for capacitated remanufacturers. The company can also be incentivized to increase the collection of returned products by permitting flexible testing locations. We also observe how the optimal testing locations vary for different levels of unit subsidy and different ratios of qualified and non-qualified returned products. Finally, conclusions and future research directions are provided.     

Sustainability in the Construction Business — A Case Study

Skanska is among the world's five largest construction companies, with construction-related activities and project development operations in some 60 countries. A strategic approach to environment was adopted in 1995. In 1998 a decision was made to introduce certified environmental management systems. The drivers behind these steps were pressures from the market, future legislation and public opinion.By the end of 2000, all business units of Skanska had environmental management systems certified according to ISO 14001. Newly acquired companies are required to have certified systems within two years after acquisition. While environmental management systems provide the necessary framework, more technical tools are also needed. Some examples of such tools are presented in this article.ISO 14001 is an important element in focusing the attention of the organization on environmental issues, but for leadership in environment, a number of guiding principles are also presented and discussed.Finally, corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be seen as a framework for all types of issues where a company is regarded as having certain obligations toward society at large, because of direct or indirect effects from its business operations. It is only logical that Skanska, following its work with ISO 14001 and the move toward leadership in environment, now has decided to develop a CSR platform.