Sequential Interdependence Research Articles

Interdependence in supply chains and projects in construction

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to inquire into the management of construction supply chains by directing attention toward the different types of interdependencies that exist in such chains and in construction projects.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is developed as part of two ongoing research projects on supply chain management (SCM) in construction. A case study approach is used for illustrating the production and subsequent delivery and installation of plasterboards to a specific construction project. This description reveals extensive coordination among a number of companies and features interesting examples of the consequences of the interdependencies identified.FindingsThe paper concludes that the strong emphasis on coordination of sequential interdependence within individual supply chains does not fit with the complex interdependencies present in and among supply chains and projects in construction. In addition to sequential interdependence it describes and illustrates pooled interdependence based on joint resource utilisation, reciprocal interdependence among activities undertaken at the construction site, and interdependence owing to synchronisation of many supply chains in relation to each and every construction project. The combined effects of these interdependencies challenge traditional SCM recommendations, such as moving activities from the site to the factory.Originality/valueThe main theoretical argument put forward in this paper is that the application of SCM models developed for other industrial contexts such as the automotive industry, are problematic to use in the construction industry. This is because these models emphasise integration of activities that are subject mainly to sequential interdependencies while the pattern of interdependence is very different in construction. A main implication for practice is that focusing on better planning in order to deal with activities that are mainly subject to sequential interdependence, is insufficient. The reciprocal interdependencies in construction require more frequent and direct interaction among the involved actors to enable mutual adjustments among the firms whose activities and resource use need to be coordinated.

Industry Structure, Organizational Forms, and Labor Dynamics in the Intermodal Logistics Supply Chain

The logistics intermodal supply chain represents a unique case of interorganizational relations, sequential interdependence, spatial dispersion, and multiple technologies. This sector of the economy has not received the attention it deserves in the organizational and labor studies literature given its centrality to global commodity chains and production networks. However, this variegated chain of organizations and labor processes reveal some interesting dynamics relevant to organization theory, logistics, supply chain management, labor organization, and social class relations. This paper integrates these various literatures in examining the intermodal supply chain that runs inland from the ocean container vessel to final points of distribution and the interplay between industry structure, organizational forms, and labor conditions. An additional consideration is how existing and changing industrial and organizational forms might either facilitate or impede the organization of labor and the strategies used by employers to reduce costs and increase flexibility. The paper includes a brief case study of the interface and interaction between workers in the port drayage and port terminal sectors of the supply chain.

Delegation of Authority, Interdependence, and Productivity: Managing Writing Response Groups through an Organizational Approach

This study of writing response groups in six high school English classrooms tested Cohen, Lotan, and Leechor's (1989) conceptualization of the delegation of authority in task groups. The study compared two treatments that differed in type of supervision of the groups and in type of interdependence within the groups: one treatment included full delegation of authority by the teacher and reciprocal interdependence, whereas the other treatment included partial delegation of authority and sequential interdependence. There was support for the hypothesis that with controls for untreated status problems and for teachers' rigor of implementation of the treatments, with full delegation of authority and reciprocal interdependence, the rate of high-quality talk about writing would be more strongly correlated with achievement in writing than under the condition of partial delegation of authority and sequential interdependence. Results supported the hypothesis that with controls for the rigor of implementation of the treatments and for students' previous academic achievement, students' individual achievement in writing would be greater with full delegation of authority and reciprocal interdependence than under the condition of partial delegation of authority and sequential interdependence.

Supply Management: Value Creation, Coordination and Positioning in Supply Relationships

Value creation in the supply literature commonly builds on the value chain model. This results in a focus on sequential interdependencies, an emphasis on coordination by planning and a restricted view of possible positioning options. This article contributes an original approach to the supply management debate, based on value configuration analysis. Value configuration analysis acknowledges the value chain logic, but finds it constraining in certain business systems, and also includes recognition of the value network model as representing the layered supply relationships typically associated with a mediating presence. Central issues in this article's view of supply management are value logic interaction, coordination of multiple interdependencies and the simultaneous presence of both over-and undercurrent relationships as well as traditionally-recognized up-and down stream dependencies. The complexity thus revealed identifies novel positioning options for firms in supply relationships. These arguments are illustrated with help of a case study and related to previous work on supply chains and networks.

Online newspapers in Scandinavia

Purpose – To examine the evolution of the online newspaper genre in Scandinavia. To provide an understanding of the institutional context in which online newspapers initially were produced and modified over time. Design/methodology/approach – A longitudinal study of three different types of newspapers in three Scandinavian countries. The study is based on interviews with newspaper representatives conducted during recurring visits in 1996, 1999 and 2002, and web page analysis of their online newspapers. Findings – The study illustrates how online newspapers have established a number of communicative practices significant for recognizing them as a distinct digital genre, and it outlines a set of institutional factors shaping the ongoing change of these newspapers. In addition, the study demonstrates the emergence of sequential interdependencies between online and printed news. Originality/value – The focus on Scandinavian newspapers in this paper complements studies conducted in other parts of the world regarding online newspaper genre evolution.

On Quantifying Insect Movements

We elaborate on methods described by Turchin, Odendaal Rausher for quantifying insect movement pathways. We note the need to scale measurement resolution to the study insects and the questions being asked, and we discuss the use of surveying instrumentation for recording sequential positions of individuals on pathways. We itemize several measures that may be used to characterize movement pathways and illustrate these by comparisons among several Eleodes beetles occurring in shortgrass steppe. The fractal dimension of pathways may provide insights not available from absolute measures of pathway configuration. Finally, we describe a renormalization procedure that may be used to remove sequential interdependence among locations of moving individuals while preserving the basic attributes of the pathway.

Kupalov Conditioning: Molecular Control of Response Sequences

The conditional organization of overt response patterns was examined in Kupalov classical conditioning with mice. In this procedural variant, onset of a 10-sec light paired with food was contingent upon the spatial location of responses relative to the conditioned and unconditioned stimuli. The initial response at onset of the conditioned stimulus significantly controlled the elicited pattern of orienting responses to the light and conditioned responses to the food cup. Changeover frequencies to each response component were sequentially conditional upon the immediately preceding response and the manipulated location of responses at stimulus onset. The duration of food cup responses, but not light orienting responses, was also conditional upon the initiating response at stimulus onset. The results suggest a sequential interdependence and molecular control of conditioned responses consistent with the current signaled reinforcement literature.