Decision Sciences Research in China: A Critical Review and Research Agenda—Foundations and Overview*

This article focuses on decision sciences research in China, providing an overview of current research and developing a foundation for future China‐based research. China provides a unique research opportunity for decision sciences researchers, owing to its recent history, rapid economic development, and strong national culture. We examine recent economic reforms and their impact on the development of research questions in the decision sciences, as well as discuss characteristics of the diverse regions in China and their potential as sites for various types of research. We provide a brief overview of recent China‐based research on decision sciences issues relating to national culture, supply chain management, quality management, production planning and control, operations strategy, and new product development and discuss some of the unique methodological challenges inherent in China‐based research. We conclude by looking forward to emerging research opportunities in China.     

先进制造模式的概念、特征及分类集成

分析了先进制造模式的概念和特征,提出了先进制造模式的分类准则并对其进行了分类整理,认为企业实施先进制造模式必须认真分析其所处的环境、所确定的战略和所采用的技术以及组织管理体系是否协调,必须针对具体情况灵活运用和实施.     

An integrated production and inventory model for a whole manufacturing supply chain involving reverse logistics with finite horizon period

This paper proposes a model and solution method for coordinating integrated production and inventory cycles in a whole manufacturing supply chain involving reverse logistics for multiple items with finite horizon period. A whole manufacturing supply chain involving reverse logistic consists of tier-2 suppliers supplying raw materials to tier-1 suppliers, tier-1 suppliers producing parts, a manufacturer which manufactures and assembles parts from tier-1 suppliers into finished products, distributors distributing finished products to retailers, retailers selling products to end customers and a third party which collects the used finished products from end customers, dissembles collected products into parts, and feed the parts back to the supply chain. In this system, we consider a finite horizon period. A mathematical model for representing the behaviors of the system is developed. Solution methods based on decentralized and a combination of decentralized and centralized decision making process, referred to as the semi-centralized decision making process, are proposed to solve the model while the centralized decision making process is solved by a mixed integer nonlinear programming method. A numerical example is used to demonstrate the model and the solutions based on the three types of the coordination.     

A resource-based view on SMEs regarding the transition to more sophisticated stages of industry 4.0

The integration of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the concept Industry 4.0 represents one of its main challenges, as they play a vital part in industrial value chains that shall be digitized from suppliers to the end customer. However, what the implementation stages for Industry 4.0 in SMEs should be as well as the respective resources for achieving the next stage are scarcely understood. In response, this paper proposes a framework using a resource-based review for Industry 4.0 implementation according to the stage of development in SMEs, created between researchers, policy makers, and 354 manufacturing SMEs in the province of Gipuzkoa (Basque Country, Spain). The paper applies a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative (interviews) and quantitative elements (survey data). The results are used to develop a model with four stages of SMEs that are characterized by having distinct preconditions and conditions for Industry 4.0. Thereupon, the required measures to achieve the next stage of Industry 4.0 implementation are derived. This highlights Industry 4.0 for SMEs as a process with different stages toward achieving sustainable competitive advantage and offering insight into how the different resources operate. The high importance and advanced position regarding industrial value creation and SMEs in Gipuzkoa allows to generalize and transfer the findings to other European regions.     

Requirements for successful implementation of new manufacturing technologies

This paper addresses the issue of why many U.S. companies have had major problems implementing “programmable automation” technologies in a manner to exploit their full potential. Many competitors in Japan and Europe have been much more successful. The theme of the paper is that the real impediment to the effective use of this new manufacturing hardware lies in some deeply entrenched attitudes and ways of doing things that are incompatible with the requirements and unique capabilities of the new hardware. Barriers to successful implementation are explored and implications for managerial practice are discussed.     

Structural and contextual approaches to ambidexterity: A meta-analysis of organizational and environmental contingencies

This meta-analysis examines the conditions under which structural and contextual approaches help balance exploration and exploitation. Drawing on heterogeneous samples of prior ambidexterity studies, we apply moderated meta-analytic regression methods to 33,492 organizations sampled in 114 primary studies from 1991 to 2017 to test a contingency model. Our findings suggest that structural separation helps firms of all sizes to balance exploration and exploitation, and that structural separation is more conducive for balancing exploration and exploitation in high technology environments. Also, avoiding a structural separation approach benefits service firms. As research on ambidexterity enters the maturity stage we discuss the implications for future theory development, methodology, and for managers interested in developing ambidextrous organizations.     

An expert system for a semiconductor manufacturing environment

We developed an expert system to analyse and suggest solutions to problems commonly encountered in the production of integrated circuits. We wrote a PC-based program to implement the expert system. Our goal is to enable interested readers to relate some of the accomplishments realized by a high tech manufacturing company to their own production, manufacturing or maintenance environment. We discuss the difficulties encountered when implementing an expert system as well as the great benefits derived from its use.     

中国与“一带一路”沿线国家制造业耦合性的四维分析

本文创新性地构建“产业耦合性评价指标体系”，并基于UIBE GVC数据库中的ADBMRIO表从制造业的竞争性、互补性、依存性和融合性四个维度对中国与“一带一路”沿线国家间制造业的耦合情况进行分析。同时，基于增加值贸易分解法对相关指数进行修正，使其可以准确反映增加值贸易视角下双边贸易关系的真实情况。随后从总值贸易和增加值贸易两个视角出发，进一步对中国与33个“一带一路”沿线国家14个制造业产业自2010-2017年间的耦合性进行对比分析。结果显示：从整体来看，在总值贸易视角下中国与沿线国家制造业可以保持良好的耦合性，但在增加值贸易视角下双边耦合水平出现恶化；从细分区域来看，无论在总值贸易还是增加值贸易下，东南亚和东亚地区都与中国在制造业领域内具有良好的耦合性，而中东欧地区与中国制造业的耦合性表现则最不理想，中亚和南亚地区均表现一般；从细分行业来看，在精炼石油、木制品、纸制品、皮制品等行业中，双边具有相对较好的耦合性，各国在不同行业中的表现也各不相同。最后，针对如何提升中国与“一带一路”沿线国家制造业耦合性的问题，本文从竞争、互补、依存和融合四个方面提出不断推进中国与沿线国家进一步合作、提升双边制造业耦合水平的建议。     

中国转型期现代物流发展与制造业竞争力提升关系研究——基于2000—2007年分省面板数据的实证分析

通过运用数据包络分析(Data Envelopment Analysis),根据中国2000-2007年的职工人数、固定资产等经济数据构建一个能反映各地区制造业综合竞争力的单一数字指标,然后利用这些效率指标以及现代物流行业的外延数据构成面板数据(Panel Data)建立模型。通过实证分析得出:中国现代物流的发展有利于制造业竞争力提升。最后根据上述结论提出一些建议:大力发展面向生产的现代物流行业,细化深化专业分工,鼓励生产制企业改造现有业务流程,推进物流业务外包,加强核心竞争力和对外开放水平。