Supply Of Professionals Research Articles

THE APPLICATION OF SIX SIGMA TO IMPROVE THE YIELD OF PLASTIC INJECTION MOLDING

Plastic injection molding has complex process parameters. The Six Sigma improvement method mainly uses quality control and statistical methods to improve product quality, so as to reduce the cost and waste caused by defective products. Taiwan is the world leader for original equipment manufacturing in the laptop industry, and related peripheral accessories are also a major concern of customers. The subject of this study was a professional supplier of laptop batteries. Through the collection of customer complaint data, it was found that battery case deformation was the most important problem for customers. Therefore, in order to remain competitive, the battery case deformation problem needed to be overcome first. Enterprises need to improve their existing processes to reduce the rate of product defects, improve output efficiency and product quality, and reduce production costs, so as to improve their competitiveness in the industry.This study took a Taiwanese company as an example to improve the plastic injection process through the improvement steps of Six Sigma. In this process, two key process factors, namely the injection speed and the cooling time, were identified by analytical tools. After calculating customers’ daily product demand, the most suitable parameters were found using the ‘design of experiments’ method. The results showed that the process capacity and product yield could be significantly improved. The key to the success of this Six Sigma project was the project implementer’s design of the experiment.

Is Airbnb no longer a sharing economy platform? Evidence from Europe’s top 10 Airbnb destinations

ABSTRACT This article contributes to the ongoing debate on the increasing professionalization and commercialization of Airbnb through multi-unit hosts who offer more than one listing. The process of professionalization brings the question of whether Airbnb is still considered as a sharing economy platform or it has already lost sharing economy ethos. To answer this question, this study focuses on Europe’s top 10 Airbnb destinations (respectively London, Paris, Rome, Copenhagen, Berlin, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Milan and Madrid). The descriptive analysis reveals that although Airbnb positions itself under the positive value of sharing economy, there are indications that it has become increasingly professional through commercial listings. In contrast to the original concept of sharing, the visibilities of multi-unit hosts, specialized in short-term rental business, have increased on the platform, and this situation indicates the tendency of Airbnb’s operating model from consumer-to-consumer to business-to-consumer. This change from peer producer to professional suppliers may open the door of the platform to be defined as a lodging corporation rather than a sharing economy company. This comparative study also shows that the commercialization level of Airbnb in the cities is quite different. This may be due to different regulations for the short-term rentals.

Las actividades turísticas en la economía colaborativa ¿en qué consisten y quiénes son sus proveedores?

The sharing economy continues to grow inside the tourism industry. Although sharing tours and activities have been being offered now for quite some time, Airbnb has produced major changes in what is on offer. This articles compares what is on offer with the activities detailed in two webs of major professional suppliers to go on to contrast the suppliers’ characteristics with the theory of the sharing economy as re‑ flected in the literature available. AirBnB tours and activities were downloaded for four regions in Spain and analysed qualitatively and quantitatively allowing us to identify the “shared” activities with the traditional tourism economy and the differences. The conclusion reached is that most “sharing economy” suppliers do not fit the profile generally attributed to the same in the literature, while managers of DMOs can rest at ease with visitor perception since such is highly satisfied with the experiences and activities on offer.

La regulación de los estereotipos de género en la publicidad: El rol de la persuasión en el refuerzo de la desigualdad

Advertising is information that aims to persuade. The phenomenon of advertising connects the professional supplier (creator) and the consumer (receiver) under particular market dynamics and within the framework of a specific social and cultural context that reveals the complexity and significance of the act of consumption. However, the regulation of advertising has been mostly focused on the professional supplier’s duty to inform, on the one hand, and on the consumer’s access to information. In this article, I argue that in order to assess the scope of the impact of the phenomenon of advertising in our society and, in particular, of advertising that conveys gender stereotypes, we must abandon the simplified construal of advertising as information, of the professional supplier as informant, and of the consumer as informed sovereign. Such representations that completely disregard context can hardly help in the tasks of rethinking regulation of current advertising and proposing legal responses that are more sensitive to advertising’s persuasive aspect and thus better suited to deal with the problem of stereotyped advertising in our society.

Centralized supply chain – Food Lord

Learning outcomes The learning outcomes are as follows: to understand the impact of external factors in supply chain operations planning; to understand the role of quantitative and qualitative data in supply chain decision-making especially in the restaurant industry; to assess the pros and cons of centralized and decentralized supply chain operations; and to evaluate different alternatives in supply chain planning, for best service level at minimum cost. Case overview/synopsis This case visualizes the planning of supply chain drivers and process improvement to enhance supply chain speed and flexibility. Asim Rizvi has recently joined as senior supply chain manager at Food Lord, a renowned chain of restaurants in Pakistan. As instructed by his CEO, Rizvi has to take a decision for centralization, or to continue the decentralization of supply chain operations at two of their highest selling branches. These two branches were located at a distance of 125 km from each other. The objective of supply chain operations’ consolidation was to minimize cost and further improve the service level. Rizvi was confused about the decision because any decision cannot be taken on the basis of cost and benefit analysis only. A 360-degree analysis and future requirements also play a vital role to decide about supply chain operations. The CEO was very excited to take this decision; that is why newly hired manager Rizvi was analyzing all the facts to reach a decision that would be best for their business. Centralized or decentralized supply chain decision was not easy because normally the business dynamics completely change due to unpredictable customer demand, unavailability of professional suppliers and unavailability of a strong information system, etc. Complexity academic level BBA and MBA Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 9: Operations and Logistics.

Mapping of Color Information from Camera Images to 3D Models for the Manufacturing of Aesthetic Dentures.

Aesthetic dentures are created to permanently replace missing teeth in a way that is as close to the patient's natural dental condition as possible. Recreating a natural color impression, especially for vestibular faces, is a major aspect in this process. Colors vary greatly from patient to patient and so do the shades of dental materials provided by professional suppliers. Until now, the manufacturing process of these highly customized artifacts is mostly carried out by hand by a trained technician who makes use of their work experience. However, digitization and automation find their way into dentistry. This paper introduces an algorithm to visualize the final result of a denture when a camera picture and 3D model is at hand. Several steps of image processing, such as segmentation, feature extraction and inpainting for black spots and reflections, are carried out. Subsequently, a projection method to map the refined image onto the 3D model is discussed. In addition, rendering of the so-colored models is mentioned as a potential extension. Implementation, which has been realized in form of C++ code using freeware frameworks OpenCV and CHAI3D, is referred to in the course of explaining the respective steps. Finally, results are presented and an outlook on future work is given.

Free available chlorine concentration in sodium hypochlorite solutions obtained from dental practices and intended for endodontic irrigation: are the expectations true?

Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) is an important tool in root canal disinfection although it is well known that the shelf-life of NaOCl is limited. In this study, NaOCl solutions that were collected from dental practices and were intended for endodontic irrigation were investigated to see whether they contained the expected concentration of free available chlorine. NaOCl solutions were collected from dental practices. The concentration of available chlorine per sample was determined with iodometric titration and the pH was measured. Each participating dentist completed a questionnaire that requested data on a range of issues relating to the assumed concentration of NaOCl and handling of the sample. Eighty-four samples with questionnaires were received. NaOCl was purchased from supermarkets and drugstores (36%), dental suppliers (48%), or pharmacies (16%). The median expected concentration was 2% (n = 36). On average, 27% less available chlorine was measured than the dentist assumed was in the sample (P < .001). Fifteen percent of samples contained less than 1% available chlorine, which is needed for tissue dissolution and disinfection. The average pH was 11.5. The greatest differences in concentrations were found in NaOCl sourced from supermarkets or drugstores. Future studies should elucidate the cause of this discrepancy. In the meantime it is recommended to purchase NaOCl from professional suppliers, because this group showed the most reliable content of free available chlorine.

Sports business and multisided markets: towards a new analytical framework?

PurposeDespite still being younger than a decade, the theory of multisided markets has offered numerous valuable insights for the analysis of industries in which a supplier serves two distinct customer groups that are indirectly interrelated by externalities. Examples include payment systems, matching agencies, commercial media, and software platforms. However, professional sports markets have largely been neglected so far in this kind of research although they possess the characteristics of multisided markets. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to filling this gap by describing the platform elements of professional suppliers of sports events and by conceptually outlining issues where an application of this theoretical framework is likely to provide valuable insights and to add to the existing knowledge. Among these problems are integrative pricing strategies of sports clubs towards such different customer groups as attendees, broadcasters, sponsors, etc., including their welfare and antitrust implications, and design decisions of sports associations, in order to promote positive feedback loops among the customer groups as well as management strategies to reinforce positive externalities among customer groups and alleviate negative ones.Design/methodology/approachThe paper applies the theory of multisided markets to sports markets. It analyses whether the participants and their interrelations can be described as facing a multisided market context and briefly outlines the strategy implications for sports business.FindingsThe paper finds that the multisided market framework offers a promising framework for analysing sports business and adds insights to several problems of sports markets that “traditional” analysis cannot fully solve.Originality/valueThis is the first paper to systematically discuss the applicability of the multisided market framework to sports markets. As a conceptual paper, it hopes to stimulate further research in this area and open a promising avenue for scientific progress in the field.

Sports Business and Multisided Markets: Towards a New Analytical Framework?

Despite still being younger than a decade, the theory of multisided market has offered numerous valuable insights for the analysis of non-ordinary industries in which a supplier serves two distinct customer groups that are indirectly interrelated by externalities. Examples include payment systems, matching agencies, commercial media and software platforms. However, professional sports markets have largely been neglected so far in this kind of research although they possess the characteristics of multisided markets. We contribute to filling this gap by describing the platform elements of professional suppliers of sports events and outlining problems where an application of this theoretical framework is likely to provide valuable insights and to add to the existing knowledge. Among these problems are integrative pricing strategies of sports clubs towards such different customer groups like attendees, broadcasters, sponsors, etc., including their welfare and antitrust implications, design decisions of sports associations in order to promote positive feedback loops among the customer groups as well as strategies to reinforce positive externalities among customer groups and alleviate negative ones.

Reconceptualizing the Influence of the News Industry on Journalism Graduate Education

In 1993, I left what is arguably one of the most theoretically oriented journalism and mass communication programs (Wisconsin-Madison) for what was arguably one of the most practically oriented journalism programs (Missouri-Columbia). Both places were very good at what they did and not very good at what they didn't do. My task at Missouri was to figure out how to develop the effort and link it to the tremendous applied enterprise that existed there. What we developed at Missouri during the next eight or nine years was a culture. The number of active doctoral faculty was tripled; the doctoral curriculum was streamlined and made more rigorous. Doctoral students and faculty ramped up their productivity many-fold. The quality of the master's theses, both in terms of theory development and methods sophistication, was increased, with master's students beginning to present their work at national meetings, and sometimes to publish it. In the applied master's projects where students spent three-quarters of their capstone semester producing professional products like photo documentaries, investigative analyses, beat books on topics like crime or education, and the like, the quarter-time component was ratcheted up to a respectable small piece of quality research. Research and applied faculty came to at first grudging and then even enthusiastic respect for one anothers' contributions to the educational endeavors of the school. But and practice education book-ended each other. Practice and training were separate, insulated and isolated, even though they sat next to each other in the curriculum. We expected the master's students to take theory and and integrate what they learned into their learning of the trade. We expected doctoral students to become theorists and skilled methodologists and tell us how their work might be applied to the real world of journalism. We theorists believed could be applied and even within the often narrow confines of our own programs had sometimes carried out some application. But as Skinner, Gasher, and Compton articulated in their essay on putting theory to practice, we put too much onus on students themselves to bridge the gap between theory and practice. This brings me to the topic of how the news industry culture affects graduate education. For master's students (and probably undergraduates as well), the assumption by the industry is that journalism education will provide them welltrained students who can be hired into the various niches, and without a lot of further investment grind out whatever products are needed. No one will have to teach them inverted pyramid writing style. They'll be able to report on cops and courts, or education or city politics. They'll know how to produce a story, report or anchor local news, or in some cases have enough background to do specialized reporting. A favorite argument in the trade journal literature is whether journalism students are best for these jobs, or if just any uncommonly bright student is best trained in-house to do these tasks. Columbia University, in a widely reported story about the meaning of high-quality applied journalism education, has seen lots of arguments about what it can add to working with high-caliber professionals to create a more academically acceptable educational system. The industry seldom turns to academia for think tank activities. Few media professionals are aware of, much less read, that scrutinizes them. When research is needed by the industry, it turns not to academics, but to professional supplier companies. (One exception is the Media Management Center at Northwestern.) The industry does not often share its own data, be it financial information or information about its users or whatever, with academics. Of course, in fields like business, medicine, nursing, law, and economics, the relationship between industry and academia is far more collaborative. …

Building the firm's political (lobbying) strategy

In this paper, we present a framework for building a firm's issue-specific lobbying strategy. We argue that there are five critical elements of a lobbying strategy and that the major choices concerning political lobbying strategy relate to these elements. The five elements, and the primary strategic choices concerning these elements are: (1) the choice of the level and type of inclusiveness of the strategy; (2) the choice of the form, or forms, of argument to be used in persuading relevant target constituencies; (3) the choice of jurisdictional venue to be addressed; (4) the choice of organizational target that will be engaged and (5) the choice of delivery mode—that is, whether political strategies should be implemented directly by firm managers or outsourced to professional suppliers of these services. We explain these elements in detail. However, in order to engage in a lobbying strategy on a specific issue, the firm must first be able to identify relevant government actions and understand their profitability impact. We show how the strategic logic can be generated by an augmented version of Porter's ‘five forces’ (5F) model (Porter, 1980) that explicitly recognizes the role of government—‘six forces’ analysis. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Principles of European Contract Law and the Protection of the Weaker Party

The Principles of European Contract Law (PECL) must be seen as a major step forward in the development of a body of European rules and principles which enshrine the common heritage of different national legal orders and cultures. They are meant to define general rules equally applicable to any person independent of his or her status as a professional supplier and/or as a consumer. The leading principles are party autonomy and self-determination, restricted by the notion of good faith. This paper tests whether and to what degree the European Principles manage to deal with consumer protection law as it has developed over the last 20 or 30 years. It is argued that – with some effort – the European Principles can be read so as to leave room for integrating the protection of the weaker party, albeit to a limited extent only. The insufficiencies can be overcome only by merging the acquis communautaire in consumer law with the European Principles.

A strategic approach to professional supplier management

Companies are increasingly realizing that superior strategic supplier management can create shareholder value. Improving supplier strategies is a starting point, but the application as well as the development of any long-term approach depends on many company-specific conditions: the business design; the strategies on corporate, business, and functional levels; the overall professionalism of a company's purchasing management; the supply market; the portfolio of supply; and the variability in purchasing volumes. A fundamental difference exists between supplier strategies for the entire supply base and supplier strategies for individual suppliers. This article examines various types of supplier strategies and explains how they can be created and implemented. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

A strategic approach to professional supplier management

A strategic approach to professional supplier management

A strategic approach to professional supplier management

A strategic approach to professional supplier management

“Make or buy”: the potential subversion of corporate strategy – the case of Philips

Top managers of multinational enterprises are continuously confronted with “make‐or‐buy” decisions. These choices have to be made after corporate strategy has already been determined and the measures to realize the corporate aims have been taken. Elucidates why the decision to make components and/or production equipment in‐house, instead of buying them from professional suppliers, may more often than not be subversive of multinational corporations′ (MNCs) core activities. Relies on a case study at a research and development department of Philips International (The Netherlands). Illustrates how the decision to make production equipment in‐house evokes further decisions which are in conflict with the actual corporate strategy. The decision of a producer of consumer electronics to develop production equipment in‐house, instead of buying it in the marketplace, imposes on top management the need to decide whether or not to add this equipment to its consumer product range. The problem is that an affirmative decision may well give rise to a shift in the company′s core activities. Consequently, “make‐or‐buy” decisions are a potential threat to strategic core activities and top management would be well advised to be aware of this.