3,482 research outputs found
Manufacturing-as-a-Service (MaaS): state-of-the-art of up and running solutions and a framework to assess the level of development of a Cloud Manufacturing platform
No full textDuring the last decades manufacturers tried to find new sources of flexibility because of the uncertainty of the market. Both practitioners and academics started to study new paradigms aiming to make companies more flexible up and downstream of their value chains leveraging on suppliers and customers. Cloud Manufacturing (CM) is certainly one of the most interesting concepts because it comes from the success of Cloud Computing and belongs to the complex fourth industrial revolution (i.e. Industry 4.0 paradigm). It has been introduced in 2010, defined as the “manufacturing version of cloud computing” where manufacturing resources are available to users on-demand, with outstanding flexibility. CM pursues the idea of creating Manufacturing as-a-Service (MaaS) leveraging on the benefits of the platform economy. In spite of its interest, after ten years debate there is not consensus on the essential characteristics of this paradigm because of the very limited number of real applications (prototypes excluded). In this paper we explore 6 cases of up and running platforms which resemble some of the characteristics of CM, define them as “CM Early adopters” and inductively propose a framework to assess the level of development of a CM platform. This study contributes to theory as it shows that CM is already arising in some businesses, the approach to the paradigm can vary significantly from one case to another, and different levels of development can be assessed. From a managerial point of view, this paper helps to understand the CM paradigm as it shows concrete examples of real companies pursuing the MaaS idea. In conclusion, MaaS seems ready to land on some industrial sectors and this can be either a new opportunity for competitiveness or a serious threat
The role of Engineering-to-Order machinery manufacturers in future Cloud Manufacturing supply chains: a business case and a strategic perspective
No full textThe visionary paradigm of Cloud Manufacturing (CM) struggles to take off in the real manufacturing world. This paper develops a single-case study on one fully-operative platform we found in Europe (metal processing business) which can be regarded as representative - and maybe 'revelatory' - for the future CM paradigm. The case, with an explanatory purpose, studies the platform success from a resources perspective. The findings show how an Engineer-to-Order (ETO) company, namely the manufacturer of the machineries virtualised, provided a key contribute to build such a system, thanks to its own peculiar resources and competences. Resorting to theoretical available knowledge, the paper suggests that ETO machine manufacturers should consider CM as a strategic option for their competitiveness but - at the same time - they should recognise that their internal resources and competences are not enough to build completely a CM platform on their own
Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for Luxury Cars: an empirical study
No full textLuxury cars represent an important segment of Luxury, and since vehicles are quite complex product with respect to “high-end furniture” “personal luxury goods” or “fine dining” they are quite peculiar from a business perspective. This research aims to understand whether there could be peculiar Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for luxury car manufacturers, and eventually know how they differ from the list of CSFs provided by literature for the general luxury market. Moreover, the study investigate whether there are possible distinct clusters of consumers which show a common pattern in valuing these CSFs. The study has been able to craft a new model where Critical Successful Factors for luxury cars are presented, meaning those characteristics essential for winning competition of other companies that also constitute as differentiators from the mass market vehicles. The validity of the model has has been tested on more than 400 real luxury car owners that confirmed the importance of the attributes included. Further analysis of the collected responses has allowed to identify five key factors that encapsulate the meaning of all the variables introduced. The factors identified are the following: technical aspects, social appeal, brand origin, uniqueness and innovation. Leveraging on these findings, it has been possible to structure the model in a new layout on two levels. On the first one there are only the five key factors and provide a macro perspective, while on the second level there is a group of CSFs for each factor describing luxury car characteristics with an additional level of detail. Interesting implications for academics as well as managers have been discussed, together with limitations and future suggestions for research
SUSTAINABILITY IN LUXURY FASHION SUPPLY CHAIN: THREAT OR OPPORTUNITY?
No full textThe sustainability factor becomes more and more important over last years, so that nowadays
Luxury firms can no longer ignore this topic. For Luxury Fashion companies the Sustainable
Supply Chain is one a major challenge, because they are not usually vertically integrated and the brand often outsources production and distribution of goods, while preserving product design phase. Brands usually act as focal-companies within their Suply Chains and are responsible for the alignment of the sustainability objectives and actions of their whole Supply Chain; they are liable not only for their actions, but also for all those actions of their suppliers and/or distributors. The possible strategies to set and manage a sustainable Supply Chain does not seem to be clearly defined in the literature, for this reason we explore the case of a Luxury Fashion company which has been outsourcing everything but the design phase. The case is represented by a mid-sized company which is moving towards vertical integration to increase the sustainability of its Supply Chain. Opportunity and threats of this choice are discussed, together with implications for theory and practice
Tedaldi Pieraccio
No full textThe essay studies the influence of the Holy Bible on Pieraccio Tedaldi's works
La Chronique de Jacopo Tedaldi : le texte d’une « information » sur la chute de Constantinople
No full textL’articolo è dedicato alla cosiddetta Cronaca di Jacopo Tedaldi sulla caduta di Costantinopoli del 1453. Era già noto che quest’opera ci fosse giunta in una versione medio-francese (trasmessa da sei manoscritti) e in una latina (trasmessa da un codex unicus). Nel primo capitolo, l’autore dell’articolo esamina attentamente la tradizione manoscritta della versione medio-francese. Nel secondo, si concentra sulla versione latina. Tale analisi lo induce a concludere che quest’ultima debba derivare dall’altra versione. Nel terzo capitolo, l’autore passa in rassegna le diverse versioni medio-francesi, al fine di ricostruire dunque il testo originale. Egli sostiene che la Cronaca non debba essere attribuita a Tedaldi, ma a qualcun altro che la redasse in medio-francese, in territorio veneziano, nel corso dell’estate del 1453. Questa persona probabilmente si basò su varie fonti che giungevano dall’Oriente in quel periodo, incluso il resoconto di Tedaldi dell’assedio di Costantinopoli. Poiché i manoscritti medio-francesi non trasmettono sei versioni discordanti di un solo testo, ma sei diverse parafrasi, risulta impossibile preparare una vera e propria edizione critica. Per questo motivo, l’autore ha ritenuto opportuno fornire una ricostruzione del testo originale fondata esclusivamente sui contenuti, in lingua francese moderna (è riportata in calce all’articolo). La trascrizione di tutte le sei versioni medio-francesi si trova invece in appendice.The article deals with the so-called Jacopo Tedaldi’s Chronicle of the fall of Constantinople in 1453. It was already known that this work has come down to us in a Middle French version (transmitted by six manuscripts) and in a Latin one (transmitted by a codex unicus). In the first chapter, the author of the article thoroughly examines the manuscript tradition of the Middle French version. In the second chapter, he addresses the Latin one. This analysis allows him to conclude that the latter must derive from the former. In the third chapter, he deals with the different Middle French versions, in order to reconstruct the original text. The author argues that the Chronicle should not be ascribed to Tedaldi, but to someone else who wrote it in Middle French in the Venetian territory during the summer 1453. This person probably relied on several sources coming from the East at that time, including Tedaldi’s report of the siege of Constantinople. Since the Middle French manuscripts do not transmit six dissimilar versions of a single text, but six different paraphrases, it is not possible to prepare a real critical edition. For this reason, the author has opted for providing a reconstruction of the original text only with regard to the contents, in modern French (it is found at the end of the article). The transcription of all the six Middle French versions is provided as an appendix
Companies’ adoption of Smart Technologies to achieve structural ambidexterity: an analysis with SEM
No full textThe transition to “Industry 4.0′′ and the adoption of Smart Technologies (STs) are generally driven by expectations of gains in productivity, better control over operations and supply chain processes and, therefore, improved competitiveness. These factors are important to achieve success, but sustainable competitive advantage depends on a company's ability to exploit its current assets, while simultaneously exploring new ways of producing value. The ambidextrous balancing of these two areas requires concerted effort and the capacity to balance paradoxical tensions. Literature has thoroughly covered the aspect of how to overcome the trade-off between exploitation and exploration. However, research has only recently started focusing on the pivotal role that digital technologies may play in this process. Our paper contributes to this nascent literature stream by investigating how STs can operate as antecedents of structural ambidexterity. This study relies on the 3rd CINet Survey (2016–2017) involving over 370 companies worldwide. Leveraging on STs and structural ambidexterity as mediators, we used Structural Equation Modelling to show that manufacturing firms with good business performance are in a favorable position to achieve better innovation performances. Our results shed new light on the current debate around the Industry 4.0 transition, with implications for both academics and practitioners
Ambidexterity 4.0: How Adopting Smart Manufacturing Technologies Improves Both Exploitation and Exploration
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