1,720,975 research outputs found
Supply chain natural resource scarcity strategies and their implications for ogranisational performance.:an empirical study of manufacturing companies.
Full text linkConcerns about natural resource scarcity are growing as some of these resources are critical for the successful functioning of firms. Research into the appropriate strategies for minimising dependencies caused by the scarcity of natural resources is still insufficient in the field of supply chain management. Whilst there is a growing recognition of the need to handle the issue of natural resource scarcity, there is limited empirical work on investigating what supply chain strategies should be utilised. This research provides insights from manufacturing companies and explores the conditions under which a specific natural resource will lead to buffering and/or bridging strategies and the implications for organisational performance. The research attempts to contribute to theory development by developing a Resource Dependence Theory based framework. The framework identifies the contingency factors that determine companies’ dependence that leads to specific supply chain strategies. This study contributes further into the identification of the impacts of these strategies on organisational performance. The proposed conceptual framework is validated through the means of exploratory research. The empirical research included the collection of qualitative data from thirteen companies that use different natural resources. In order to manage and analyse the 31 semi-structured interviews content analysis was conducted using the qualitative analysis software NVivo. After the qualitative first stage, quantitative research followed to validate the findings. Responses from 183 logistics, purchasing and supply chain managers were collected and analysed by using the partial least squares (PLS) method to verify the relationships between the constructs in the framework. The study reveals that there are three main contingent factors, namely; the importance of the scarce natural resource (e.g. the price of the natural resources), the supplier substitutability of the scarce natural resource (e.g. number of suppliers) and the discretion over the scarce natural resource (e.g. legislation and geopolitical risk). This is leading companies to natural resource dependencies thus to specific supply chain NRS strategies (i.e. buffering strategies and bridging strategies). The research has shown that the two strategies can improve both resource efficiency and a company’s competitive advantage
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Supply chain analytics adoption: Determinants and impacts on organisational performance and competitive advantage
Full text linkDespite manufacturing companies recognising the potential benefits associated with the adoption of Supply Chain Analytics (SCA), only a few firms adopt data-based decision-making processes due to fundamental technical, organisational and environmental challenges. In this regard, this research explores the determinants influencing SCA adoption and the impacts on firm performance and competitive advantage. Specifically, the Technological, Organisational, and Environmental (TOE) framework was applied to identify the key determinants influencing SCA adoption. Data was collected from 217 executives working in the UK manufacturing sector through a questionnaire-based survey. The research model was tested using a quantitative approach, i.e., Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling. Surprisingly, none of the identified technological factors leads manufacturing companies to adopt SCA. On the contrary, organisational and environmental factors have a crucial role in influencing supply chain and logistics managers to adopt SCA. This research also emphasises and validates the importance of SCA adoption in improving firm performance and fostering competitive advantage. On evaluating SCA adoption, supply chain managers should concentrate on aspects other than technological competence. Manufacturing companies looking to make investment decisions regarding SCA adoption should mainly consider organisational and environmental factors; hence, SCA systems can be used effectively and efficiently. This study is the first to explore the TOE framework regarding the adoption determinants within an SCA context along with its implications on organisational performance and competitive edge
The shaping of EV battery supply chains: resilience challenges and circular economy alternatives
Full text linkPurpose: The growing demand for EV (electric vehicle) batteries is driving the emergence of global supply chains highly dependent on the extraction of critical mineral metals. Such dependence brings new challenges to the sustainability and resilience of EV battery supply chains in the automotive sector. This paper sheds light on the resource dependence constraints and sustainability challenges shaping the configuration of emerging EV battery supply chains. Research Approach: A horizon-scanning approach is taken to capture insights from current studies and industrial trends in the automotive sector. The paper draws from Resource Dependence Theory (RDT) important concepts to characterise buffering and bridging strategies to address resource dependence issues concerning the sourcing of critical minerals. The identified strategies are linked to circular economy solutions for end-of-life recovery of EV battery metals. Findings and Originality: The paper points out critical resource dependencies posing resilience and sustainability challenges to EV battery supply chains. The conceptual connections between RDT and circular economy offer an original theoretical perspective, supporting the elaboration of purposeful circular economy approaches to address key resilience and sustainability challenges in EV battery supply chains. To address emerging challenges, the creation of circular supply chains, where essential metals can be ‘mined back’ from end-of-life batteries, has become of strategic importance. Research Impact: The paper contributes to developing a better understanding of the contextual and operational complexities involved in the management of emerging EV battery supply chains. It also offers an original theoretical perspective linking RDT with circular economy approaches, this way expanding knowledge in the area. Practical Impact: The paper shows that the recovery of secondary raw materials through battery recycling will be of crucial importance to address resource dependence issues concerning the automotive sector. The linkages between RDT buffering/bridging strategies and specific circular economy approaches provide a helpful managerial framework to support supply chain managers to strategically address resource dependence challenges faced by EV battery supply chains
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
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