Challenges for Brazil’s food industry in the context of globalization and Mercosur consolidation

This paper examines how the Brazilian food industry has been heavily affected by several recent institutional and economic changes. The food industry, including the processing and retail sectors, is part of a broader agribusiness system that conditions corporations’ strategies, performance, and adoption of adequate governance structures. The Brazilian agroindustrialization process that preceded the formation of the sub-regional free-trade area (Mercosur) and economic liberalization influenced subsequent development of the agribusiness and food system in the Mercosur countries and their investment and trade links to countries outside Mercosur. The article emphasizes business strategies for coping with challenges and opportunities that have arisen from Mercosur integration, from economic stabilization programs and, more importantly, from a broad range of institutional changes such as trade liberalization, deregulation, and the friendlier treatment of foreign capital. These changes have together fostered the globalization process in the region and have stimulated different responses from large and small firms, all threatened by the new, competitive environment.     

基于过程的企业电子商务绩效评价模型

提出企业电子商务绩效评价是基于价值创造过程的动态评价,依据企业资源观（RBV）,从战略构建、资源分析、能力评估和绩效测量四个维度之间的因果作用关系构建电子商务绩效评价模型,采用结构方程验证模型的结构合理性和关联效应。基于模型建立了电子商务绩效评价指标体系,实现对价值产生的中间过程因素和关联作用关系的综合评价,通过我国75家制造企业电子商务绩效的实际测评,验证评价指标体系的可行性和有效性。     

集群演化网络模型与仿真研究

从网络视角研究集群的演化,应用一个小世界演化模型与选择价值函数演化模型相结合的双重网络演化模型,研究集群网络的演化特征和集群网络的演化过程.此模型可反映集群网络从形成期到成熟期的演化进程,应用该模型对集群网络形成期和成熟期的网络密集性、连通性和中心性进行了仿真试验,并对集群网络的形成机制给出了解释和分析.研究表明,小世界网络模型模拟的集群网络具有集群形成期网络整体密集性和连通性剧烈变化的特征,而个体选择价值函数模型可以解释集群网络的成长期、成熟期的密集性和连通性趋于稳定的特征,将2种演化规则相结合,则可以反映集群网络从形成期到成熟期的各生命周期特征.最后,由小世界和价值函数演化机理出发,给出集群网络演化进程中生命周期各阶段的内因解释和政策启示.     

Lean implementation in a service factory: views from the front-line

The deployment of Lean methods in service work is increasingly viewed as a legitimate response more efficient front-line service delivery. However, there are mixed results with process efficiency gains frequently marginalised by losses in employee satisfaction and customer focus. It is suggested that these sub-optimal outcomes result from partial adoptions of Lean with emphasis on process efficiency neglecting employee and customer outcomes. Utilising Action Research this paper investigates a Lean implementation within a UK call centre. This research finds that Lean when implemented properly can lead to improved process efficiency, a better customer experience and increased employee satisfaction. It suggests that to achieve these optimum outcomes Lean implementations must as a priority be focused on creating customer satisfaction and be customised to fit with particular contingencies in the organisational context such as the nature of the interface between the front-line worker and the customer.     

Dimensions of Risk

Eight major factors of risk comparisons are presented, and the conventional reduction of the risk concept to a unidimensional format is challenged. The similarities between risk issues and other issues of the social decision process are stressed. It is concluded that risk decisions are part of the general political process, and cannot be isolated from this. Expert assessments should be presented in a way that reflects the complexity of the subject matter, instead of repressing it.     

End-to-end process management: implications for theory and practice

The term ‘end-to-end’ process management is now commonplace in the language and practice of operations. Managers are encouraged to migrate from functional process management to end-to-end process management to realise a range of performance improvements. However, these improvements are often elusive; the specific challenges associated with such a migration are under-researched. This paper uses a cross-sector study to identify the challenges of end-to-end process management and to generate practical managerial guidance. Three areas are identified that demand particular managerial attention: the need to move beyond process mapping, the role of IT in process management and maintaining the process infrastructure as a strategic asset. More significantly, the findings highlight the need for greater conceptual clarity regarding the end-to-end concept itself. The existing literature suggests that scope is the primary differentiator of the end-to-end process – the requirement to manage an extended boundary from customer order through to customer fulfilment. However, this research suggests that the end-to-end concept is more complex, comprising of three core constructs with seven dimensions: scope (boundary conditions, sequence/flow and controls); scale (resources and input/output transformation) and complexity (interrelationships and orientation). End-to-end process management involves much more than an extended boundary. It requires a systemic perspective and clarity regarding controls and transforming resources.     

知识创造的IDE-SECI模型--对野中郁次郎"自我超越"模型的一个扩展

企业知识的创造是一个完整的过程,既包括内部知识的自我超越,又包括外部知识的吸收与转化.野中郁次郎的SECI模型虽然对知识在企业内的动态演化有很好的解释力,但忽略了外部环境的力量.因此,本文从知识的分类与分布角度出发,以SECI为基础,提出了知识创造的IDE-SECI模型,以期对企业知识的动态产生过程更为全面地进行描述.     

Writing from practice

This study investigates the effects of integration change on the integration success of German acquisitions in Poland. It is argued that the degree of integration change has a positive impact on two success measures, namely, economic growth and efficient co-operation, in the acquisition target. It is further argued that process transparency, participation and positive reinforcement are moderators in this relationship between degree of integration change and integration success. Hypotheses are tested on 521 Polish employees from twenty-nine German acquisitions made in Poland between 1991 and 1999. The results show that there was a positive relationship between degree of integration change and integration success as expected and that only process transparency emerged as a significant moderator of this relationship. Consequences for post-acquisition management after German acquisitions in Poland and limitations of the study are discussed.     

基于创新过程的现代生物技术企业知识产权策略研究

从技术创新的基本过程出发,分析了现代生物技术企业在不同创新阶段知识产权所具有的特点,建立了现代生物技术知识产权策略与创新过程相结合的模型,探讨了现代生物技术企业在技术创新的不同阶段所应采取的知识产权策略,以期对现代生物技术企业的知识产权保护实践有所贡献。     

An emergency department perspective: Part II. Process review

Webster defines process as a "series of actions or operations conducting to an end." Each of the many processes that may be involved with providing a service or procedure comprises many smaller steps. It is the monitoring of those steps that we call a process review. The process review for quality management begins when a patient perceives the need to receive emergency care. It embodies the technical and interpersonal aspects of the patients, and the staff's interpersonal relationships.     

Putting Process (Back) In: Research on the Internationalization Process of the Firm

This paper provides a critique of existing research on the internationalization process of the firm and proposes an agenda for future inquiry. In recent years, process approaches have received increasing attention in management research, leading to a more refined understanding of the distinction between process and variance paradigms. We apply a process lens to a well‐established sub‐field of international business, namely the internationalization process of the firm. We review how this research tradition has evolved over four decades. The review commences with a reassessment of the seminal ‘stage models’ that date back to the 1970s. It then proceeds to classify subsequent research on the basis of whether it includes process data and/or process theorizing. It is found that the majority of studies in this review do not combine process data with process theorizing. We show how, even in studies that contain some process elements, a process approach is not always sustained throughout the paper. On the basis of this review, six research themes are proposed, which would form the basis for a process agenda for future research.     

Micro-political or inter-cultural conflicts? – An integrating approach

The article focuses on inner-organizational conflicts arising with respect to processes of organizational transnationalization of multinational companies (MNCs). Two strands of debate are identified and discussed in this respect: one focusing on micro-political, the other one focusing on inter-cultural conflicts. It is argued that an integrative perspective on conflict processes is needed as neither power nor culture can be neglected or put in a secondary position when explaining conflicts in MNCs. Such an integrative framework is developed following Giddens' analytical differentiation of three dimensions of social systems: signification, domination and legitimation. It is argued that it depends on contextual variables framing the process of transnationalization, whether actors conceive of occurring conflicts as being either inter-cultural or micro-political. This theoretical argument is underscored by referring to two case studies from a German MNC in the process of transnationalization.     

The effect of skewness on estimates of some process capability indices

The use of process capability indices, which are statistical measures of process capability, is based on several assumptions. For instance, the process monitored is supposed to be stable and the process output should be approximately normally distributed. These assumptions are not always fulfilled in practice. This article focuses on the problem when the process monitored has an output which is non-normally distributed. After presenting a short literature review on research concerning process capability indices and non-normal distributions, the effect of skewness on estimates of process capability indices is studied using a simulation study based on lognormally distributed process outputs. It is found that the effect of skewness is relatively systematic. From the study it is clear that the effect of skewness on estimates of process capability indices is so severe that it has to be considered when studying the capability of a process. Otherwise, erroneous decisions might be made when improving the process studied. It is suggested that further research, for instance, focusing on correction-factors to use when the process output has different skew shapes might be meaningful. However, research focusing on totally new ways of estimating process capability is primarily encouraged.     

基于两阶段决策的封闭式基金价格控制问题研究

在给定相关假设的基础上,考虑了在某一交易时间段的初始时刻,“庄家”型封闭式基金投资者初始持有资金额度有限的状况,将“庄家”型基金投资者的基金价格控制决策分为两个阶段：第一阶段为在确定各时刻期望收益率及其收益离差的条件下求得该投资者在对应时刻的最优投资值,第二阶段以各时刻的最优投资值为约束来获得最优基金价格控制序列。对于第一阶段可建立使“庄家”型基金投资者期望收益最大、收益平均绝对离差最小（风险最小）的双目标模型,变换为一个单目标模型后利用库恩-塔克条件进行求解,从而获得各时刻的最优投资值;对于第二阶段则以第一阶段得到的各时刻最优投资值为约束,以“庄家”型基金投资者在该交易时间段内的现金支付为极小值（现金收益的极大值）建立目标函数,而其为一个带约束的非线性规划问题,对此采用了一种改进的遗传算法进行求解,最终获得基金的最优价格控制序列。     

How does decision-making involvement affect perceptions of speed during post-merger integration?

This article offers an empirical demonstration of how different employees perceive the speed of change during the post-merger integration (PMI) process. As such, it adds to the growing body of literature on the speed of integration in the aftermath of a merger or acquisition (M&A). It broadens our understanding of the M&A integration process as it goes beyond binary recommendations of ‘fast’ or ‘slow’ integration by highlighting the relationship between an employee's involvement in the decision-making process and their perception of the speed of change.We conducted a multi-level longitudinal study over a two-and-a-half-year period. Our qualitative research on two not-for-profit, higher education institutions, employed multiple sources of process data. Building from this, our article thus provides not only novel theoretical insights into the PMI process, but equally offers valuable managerial advice on how staff morale, turnover and change resistance might be more efficiently managed during PMI.     

Improving the efficiency of remanufacture through enhanced pre-processing inspection – a comprehensive study of over 2000 engines at Caterpillar remanufacturing,U.K.

Remanufacturing returns used product to an ‘as-new’ condition and is a key strategy in environmentally conscious manufacturing and waste management. However, strategies to improve the efficiency of the process are hampered by a lack of remanufacturing-specific industrial research. This paper presents the results of quantitative research, conducted in an industrial remanufacturing facility, to establish the relationship between pre-processing inspection levels and the subsequent remanufacturing process time for returned used products (known as cores). It concludes that for cores having either complex geometry (such as internal ports), a large number of sub-components or that are constructed from, or comprising of, multiple materials the remanufacturing process is shortened by increased inspection prior to processing. However, these benefits are currently limited by the amount of information that can be gained from the inspection methods used. The authors describes the practical use of these results in both a decision-making methodology for inspection and a cost assessment tool.     

Statistical Process Control and Condition‐Based Maintenance: A Meaningful Relationship through Data Sharing

This paper focuses on the close relationship between statistical process control and preventive maintenance (PM) of manufacturing equipment. The context is very general: a production process that is characterized by multiple distinct operational states and a failure state. The operational states differ in terms of operational/quality costs and/or the proneness to complete failure. The times of shift from the normal operational state to an inferior one and the times to failure are random variables, not necessarily exponentially distributed. The process is monitored with a control chart with the purpose of quickly detecting shifts to an inferior operational state due to the occurrence of some unobservable assignable cause. At the same time, the information collected from the process may be used to re‐schedule the planned PM, if there is evidence that a failure is imminent. The two mechanisms are obviously related, especially if they are based on measurements of the same critical process characteristic. Yet, they are typically treated independently. We develop a fairly general mathematical model for the joint optimization of the control chart parameters and the maintenance times. Numerical investigation using this model shows that ignoring the close relationship between process control and maintenance results in inefficiencies that may be substantial. It also provides practical insights about the effects of some key problem characteristics on the optimal joint design of process control and maintenance.     

Optimizing the Collections Process in Consumer Credit

This paper builds a dynamic programming model to optimize the collections process in consumer credit. It determines which collections actions should be undertaken and how long they should be performed, including theoretical results about the form of the optimal policy under certain conditions. Finally, a case study is described based on data from the collections department of a European bank.     

Policy making at Nederlandsche Middenstandsbank (NMB), Amsterdam

In banking, the problem is that a centrally designed policy based on extensive analyses has to be made operational to a large extent from a decentralized level. It is against this background that the process of policy- making is described as it takes place at Nederlandsche Middenstandsbank in Amsterdam. Consideration is particularly given to the relation between policy and organizational and social functioning of the bank. The starting point is the recognition that especially in a complex financial and commercial conduct of policy the nature and quality of the management process has come to be a decisive factor in the pursuit of profit, growth and continuity.     

消费者持续满意度研究——基于快乐适应视角

从动态视角研究消费者满意是营销学研究的前沿问题.本文从快乐适应角度考察消费者如何在消费决策过程中获得持续的满意.问卷调查研究发现,尽管不同产品的满意度会随时间的延续下降,但剔除价格变动因素后,由于互动性产品给消费者带来的快乐更不易适应,满意度并未随时间发生明显改变;情感性产品给消费者带来满意容易适应,满意度随时间的推移明显下降;实用性产品并未给消费者带来明显的情感刺激,因此,消费者对这类产品的满意度相对比较稳定.根据快乐适应理论,商品的互动性带来的消费的不易适应性是影响持续满意度的主要因素.本研究的结论为消费者、厂商、政府部门在购买商品、生产产品和制定政策等方面提供建议.