The impact of timely information on organisational performance in a supply chain

Information produced by ERP systems is termed JIT-information, since it is provided at the right time in the right place with a minimum of waste. The JIT-information construct is defined and described and a measurement scale is developed. A JIT-information performance model is proposed and assessed using a structural equation modelling methodology. The results indicate that the model fits the data well: (1) supply chain management strategy positively impacts JIT-information, (2) JIT-information directly impacts both logistics and organisational performance, and (3) logistics performance directly impacts organisational performance.     

Order Promising and the Master Production Schedule*

Previous research on material requirements planning (MRP) systems has rarely considered the impact of the master production scheduling method used to promise customer orders and to allocate production capacity. Based on a simulation study of an MRP environment, we show that the correct selection of a master production schedule (MPS) method depends on the variance of end-item demand. In addition, we find evidence that the effectiveness of a particular MPS method can be enhanced by holding buffer inventory at the same level in the product structure as in the MPS.     

Elements of the American Health Security Act of 1993

Over the past several decades, there has been a plethora of proposals that were developed in response to the ongoing debate on how best to solve the problems of the American health care delivery system. In the past decade, calls for modification of our health system have become even more resonant, as measures to control rising costs were unsuccessful and access to basic services was diminished for many Americans. The most recent addition to the list of proposals for modifying the health care system is the American Health Security Act of 1993, introduced by President Clinton in September 1993. This article will examine the position of the Clinton Administration on health reform and the core elements of the reform package.     

Redesigning a Cellular Manufacturing System to Handle Long-Term Demand Changes: A Methodology and Investigation*

Cellular manufacturing systems have been proposed as an alternative to the job shop since they provide some of the operational benefits of a flow line production process, while retaining to some extent the flexibility of job shops. However, this must be balanced against the possibility of additional initial investments in equipment to form the cells and a certain loss in manufacturing flexibility, particularly in terms of the ability to deal with long-term demand changes. This paper presents a model-based heuristic cell system redesign methodology to deal with such demand changes. The methodology is validated and applied to system designs generated from several data sets published in the literature. Results show that different kinds of demand changes incur distinct kinds of costs. Further, characteristics of cell designs that can handle long-term demand changes at least cost are identified.     

An Evaluation of Capacity Sensitive Order Review and Release Procedures in Job Shops

We investigate the performance of capacity-sensitive order review and release (ORR) procedures in job shop environments that have not been previously explored. Previous research has ignored the case of job shops which must perform to very tight due-dates because of time-sensitive customers. We propose and test a new capacity sensitive ORR procedure called path based bottleneck (PBB) in such environments, along with the modified infinite loading (MIL) procedure which has been shown to work well in several studies. We compare the performance of these two controlled release rules with that of immediate release rule under different conditions of capacity utilization and customer specified exogenous duedates. Our results indicate that PBB performs well in lowering total costs when due-dates are tight, while MIL is a better procedure with relatively loose to medium due-dates. We also show that in many cases, the shortest processing time (SPT) dispatching rule is a superior performer than a due-date based rule like critical ratio (CR); a conclusion which is contrary to the existing research in this area. In addition, the shop floor control policies recommended are shown to be sensitive to the cost structure of the firm. The managerial implications of this research in providing effective shop floor control in job shops operating under tight due-date conditions are also discussed.     

Islamic Jurisprudence of Minorities (Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat): The Case of the Palestinian Muslim Minority in Israel

This article examines the doctrine of Jurisprudence of Muslim Minorities (Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat) in the context of the Palestinian Muslim community in Israel. The first part discusses the origins and goals of Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat. After outlining the particular historical and political context of the Palestinian minority in Israel, the article focuses on the ethno-religious political mobilization developed by the Muslim community vis-à-vis the state’s strategies of control and domination, and points out the difficulties involved in the application of Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat, as used in “Western” states, for the reality that Muslims face in Israel. The article suggests a vigilant approach toward the Jurisprudence of Minorities, as we argue that, when applying it in this context of the Muslim community in Israel, this doctrine has two substantial limitations. The first is theoretical and it concerns the doctrine’s current incapability to distinguish between different types of minorities, as well as failing to recognize a difference between various political regimes and societal lives that might be inherently less or more accommodating or even hostile to minorities, and Muslim minority communities in particular. The second limitation relates to the political dimension and the lack of consideration for the status of the Palestinian minority as an indigenous and national minority and not an immigrant minority. Their status as national minorities, at times also as indigenous peoples, who are perceived as entitled to group-based “self-government rights”, poses a serious challenge to this doctrine’s scope and viability.     

Exploring the intersection of transnationalism and critical race theory: a critical race analysis of international student experiences in the United States

International student mobility to the United States (US) has increased over the past two decades. Despite the increase in numbers, international students may experience racism, nativism, and other forms of discrimination within the US context. Much of the existing literature focus on how international students can assimilate and cope with these issues rather than interrogating the systems of oppression that create negative student experiences. Thus, we utilized critical race theory (CRT) as a framework for interrogating how international student experiences are portrayed in current literature. Although CRT is grounded in US-based legal theory, we argue that CRT must move beyond the rigid confinement within US borders and expand to consider how transnationalism and global exchange contributes to the fluidity and applicability of this theory. We also provide recommendations for critical race praxis, with an emphasis on implications for practice, theory, and future research.     

THE SLIPPERY SLOPE OF CONCESSION

We show that with common knowledge and a common rate of time preference, the potential loser can always avoid wasteful conflict through a time-consistent series of small concessions. We examine how the failure of each of these assumptions may explain why conflicts arise. We also debate which actions may be helpful in such unfortunate circumstances.