Matching Items (34)
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- All Subjects: Supply Chain Management
- Creators: Department of Information Systems
- Creators: Department of Finance
- Status: Published
Description
This piece aims to discuss the roles of emerging geographies within the context of global supply chains, approaching the conversation with a "systems" view, emphasizing three key facets essential to a holistic and interdisciplinary environmental analysis: -The Implications of Governmental & Economic Activities -Supply Chain Enablement Activities, Risk Mitigation in Emerging Nations -Implications Regarding Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility In the appreciation of the interdisciplinary implications that stem from participation in global supply networks, supply chain professionals can position their firms for continued success in the proactive construction of robust and resilient supply chains. Across industries, how will supply networks in emerging geographies continue to evolve? Appreciating the inherent nuances related to the political and economic climate of a region, the extent to which enablement activities must occur, and sustainability/CSR tie-ins will be key to acquire this understanding. This deliverable aims to leverage the work of philosophers, researchers and business personnel as these questions are explored. The author will also introduce a novel method of teaching (IMRS) in the undergraduate business classroom that challenges the students to integrate their prior experiences both in the classroom and in the business world as they learn to craft locally relevant solutions to solve complex global problems.
ContributorsVaney, Rachel Lee (Author) / Maltz, Arnold (Thesis director) / Kellso, James (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
P.F. Chang's China Bistro is a privately-held purveyor of Asian fare in the United States and internationally, known largely for its vibrant atmosphere and lettuce wraps. With hundreds of locations and dozens of menu items, procurement, logistics, and coordination of ingredient delivery to P.F. Chang's restaurants is no small task. Despite their difficulty, supply chain operations from suppliers to customers' plates must run efficiently if P.F. Chang's is to maintain customer loyalty, a trusted brand, and profitability. As such, supply chain initiatives that allow for faster, better, or lower-cost operation are valuable investments for P.F. Chang's. In this project, two initiatives focused on increasing visibility along the value chain (with the hope of creating immediate value and easier implementation for future strategies). The first initiative involved stakeholder interviews and academic research to determine evaluation methods for P.F. Chang's suppliers in the form of a scorecard. The second project required extensive data collection from suppliers to isolate and remove excess cost in the inbound logistics of P.F. Chang's inventory. Both initiatives led to incremental improvement at P.F. Changs and the latter provided substantial cost savings. Further investigation and work is likely to yield continued benefits for the company. The increased use of data in all supply chains to guide decision-making will be easier for P.F. Chang's as it manages ongoing visibility efforts. Although process explanation and general outcomes will be reported here, the proprietary nature of P.F. Chang's data precludes full disclosure of the project results in public documentation.
ContributorsBarger, Michael Richard (Author) / Taylor, Todd (Thesis director) / Miller, Steve (Committee member) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This Thesis was written to prepare myself for my career in supply chain management and to take a look at negotiations deeper than SCM 355 and 455 did. It was also written to utilize my internship knowledge as a sourcing supply chain intern at UTC Aerospace Systems. My internship has introduced me to all of the possibilities in the procurement part of supply chain and overall got me very excited about my career. Throughout this paper I used prior knowledge from SCM classes, researched SCM articles, and face-to- face negotiations I have been a part of at my internship. I was very excited to learn more and research about negotiations to help me further in my career as a Commodity Manager at American Airlines.
ContributorsCollinsworth, Amelia Danielle (Author) / Carter, Craig (Thesis director) / Sadusky, Brian (Committee member) / Evers, Justin (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor)
Created2013-05
Description
New Venture Group, a student-run consulting organization at ASU, collaborated with representatives from Intel Corporation to determine current best supplier management practices in the area of capital equipment procurement. The New Venture Group team accomplished this goal by completing the following deliverables: (1) Research and consolidate best practices for managing capital equipment suppliers. (2) Interview suppliers of capital equipment in the semiconductor industry to understand their motivators. (3) Examine top supply chain companies that utilize capital equipment manufacturers within their procurement systems. (4) Gather data and knowledge in conjunction with Intel Corporation's current practices to improve the effectiveness of the company's supplier management techniques regarding capital equipment manufacturers. The thesis report outlines the key insights and recommendations that our team extracted from the research that we performed. Our team analyzed peer-reviewed journal articles, conducted interviews with suppliers of capital equipment to semiconductor manufacturers, and surveyed buyers at top companies to reach important key insights. We then used these insights to develop the following strategies to improve Intel's capital equipment supplier management structure: All Suppliers 1. Allow high-performance suppliers to select one reward from an established portfolio of incentives. 2. Increase measurement frequency for specific metrics. 3. Use collaborative two-way measurement with a corresponding balanced scorecard. Key Suppliers of Critical Products 4. Conduct gap analysis through supplier self-assessments. 5. Implement collaborative target pricing. 6. Delegate an Ombudsman. 7. Create a value map to determine the strengths and incentivize collaboration. 8. Create comparison charts comparing supplier technological competencies versus Intel's product developments. 9. Establish a systematized product development process and strategic sourcing strategy that supports the continuation of Moore's Law.
ContributorsSantiago, Bryce (Co-author) / Chen, Jenny (Co-author) / Chang, Karen (Co-author) / Baldridge, Stephen (Co-author) / Laub, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Brooks, Daniel (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor, Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Amazon Prime Air is the innovative new service that promises automated drone delivery in thirty minutes or less. The platform has not yet been brought to market, but there is a plethora compelling data available that suggests it will be a unique and highly disruptive business segment for Amazon. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the framework laid out by Amazon.com, Inc. for their anticipated Prime Air drone delivery platform, and offer our recommendations for what steps the e-commerce giant should take moving forward. Following a brief recap of the company's founding and a breakdown of its various business segments, we will begin our analysis by examining past strategic decisions that Amazon has made which have directly contributed to their current market position. It is our goal to construct a narrative of what events lead the company to begin developing a fleet of automated delivery vehicles. Following this history lesson, we will review and criticize the existing elements of Amazon's Prime Air platform, and explore any possible alternatives that they could have taken to optimize the development of this exciting new technology. Criticisms will touch upon elements such as cost efficiencies, brand management, and utilization of infrastructure to name but a few. These criticisms will be based upon data sourced from Amazon's available material as well as comments from market analysts and journalists. The culminating element of our analysis will be to offer our professional recommendations as to what we believe the next logical steps that Amazon should take for their Prime Air platform. These recommendations will be informed by our criticisms and our understanding of Amazon as a corporation. This chapter will be largely concerned with guiding Amazon towards a fully optimized drone delivery platform. Our recommendations will be based upon our extensive experience concerning cost and logistical efficiencies, as well as our knowledge of Amazon as a corporation. We will offer succinct suggestions for Amazon's immediate needs as well as long-term solutions to lingering obstacles that they may face.
ContributorsMcCaleb, Nicholas (Co-author) / Glynn, Reagan (Co-author) / Choi, Thomas (Thesis director) / Rogers, Dale (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
The purpose of this thesis is to gain a greater understanding of Ph. D research and how general research in the field of supply chain management and operations is being conducted in 2017. In order to gain a greater understanding, this thesis contains summaries and personal perspectives on four different supply chain management and operations seminars from visiting professors. There is also an expanded examination of the research area from the fourth seminar, process compliance. Multiple literature sources were used to construct a perspective on process development, process standardization, and process compliance origins and current state.
ContributorsBerg, Paul Joseph (Author) / Taylor, Todd (Thesis director) / Printezis, Antonios (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
This thesis investigates the potential of life cycle analysis for more sustainable sourcing strategies in organizations. Using the example of the College of Lake County (CLC) in Illinois, I study how life-cycle analysis can help to improve the procurement of products and services in higher education. Currently, CLC's purchasing team does not understand how sourcing affects operational and environmental performance. In addition, CLC's purchasing team does not communicate effectively with other departments from a product utilization standpoint. The objective of this research is to analyze CLC's current product procurement process and to assess the feasibility of implementing life cycle analysis tools. Further, I evaluate different life cycle analysis tools and provide recommendations to CLC about the applicability of these tools so that they may be implemented into the university in the future. First, I find that both the procurement and IT department at CLC are not familiar with life-cycle analysis tools and hence, do not know about the life cycle of their processes and services. Second, I identify professional life cycle analysis tools relevant for CLC. Two software options, GaBi and SimaPro, are discussed. Finally, I suggest six steps for a successful implementation of life cycle analysis at CLC: (1) form an interdisciplinary team, (2) analyze demand and collect additional data, (3) conduct a product life cycle analysis using a software tool, (4) define which products to analyze further, (5) conduct life cycle costing analysis with the same software tool, and (6) utilize these results for decisions and delegation of responsibility.
ContributorsGotsch, Rachel Lynne (Author) / Wiedmer, Robert (Thesis director) / Kashiwagi, Jacob (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Cognitive technology has been at the forefront of the minds of many technology, government, and business leaders, because of its potential to completely revolutionize their fields. Furthermore, individuals in financial statement auditor roles are especially focused on the impact of cognitive technology because of its potential to eliminate many of the tedious, repetitive tasks involved in their profession. Adopting new technologies that can autonomously collect more data from a broader range of sources, turn the data into business intelligence, and even make decisions based on that data begs the question of whether human roles in accounting will be completely replaced. A partial answer: If the ramifications of past technological advances are any indicator, cognitive technology will replace some human audit operations and grow some new and higher order roles for humans. It will shift the focus of accounting professionals to more complex judgment and analysis.
The next question: What do these changes in the roles and responsibilities look like for the auditors of the future? Cognitive technology will assuredly present new issues for which humans will have to find solutions.
• How will humans be able to test the accuracy and completeness of the decisions derived by cognitive systems?
• If cognitive computing systems rely on supervised learning, what is the most effective way to train systems?
• How will cognitive computing fair in an industry that experiences ever-changing industry regulations?
• Will cognitive technology enhance the quality of audits?
In order to answer these questions and many more, I plan on examining how cognitive technologies evolved into their use today. Based on this historic trajectory, stakeholder interviews, and industry research, I will forecast what auditing jobs may look like in the near future taking into account rapid advances in cognitive computing.
The conclusions forecast a future in auditing that is much more accurate, timely, and pleasant. Cognitive technologies allow auditors to test entire populations of transactions, to tackle audit issues on a more continuous basis, to alleviate the overload of work that occurs after fiscal year-end, and to focus on client interaction.
The next question: What do these changes in the roles and responsibilities look like for the auditors of the future? Cognitive technology will assuredly present new issues for which humans will have to find solutions.
• How will humans be able to test the accuracy and completeness of the decisions derived by cognitive systems?
• If cognitive computing systems rely on supervised learning, what is the most effective way to train systems?
• How will cognitive computing fair in an industry that experiences ever-changing industry regulations?
• Will cognitive technology enhance the quality of audits?
In order to answer these questions and many more, I plan on examining how cognitive technologies evolved into their use today. Based on this historic trajectory, stakeholder interviews, and industry research, I will forecast what auditing jobs may look like in the near future taking into account rapid advances in cognitive computing.
The conclusions forecast a future in auditing that is much more accurate, timely, and pleasant. Cognitive technologies allow auditors to test entire populations of transactions, to tackle audit issues on a more continuous basis, to alleviate the overload of work that occurs after fiscal year-end, and to focus on client interaction.
ContributorsWitkop, David (Author) / Dawson, Gregory (Thesis director) / Munshi, Perseus (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The main compelling question to this thesis was to determine if there is a relationship between the amount of sensitivity received in ones college experience to how easily one transitions to a full time role upon graduation. Furthermore to determine if there is measurable difference, what can educators do to close the gap to better serve students. The conduction of this thesis was done through a survey via Google Forms targeting three groups. The three groups were Alpha Kappa Psi at Arizona State University, Delta Sigma Pi at Penn State University and the Supply Chain Development Program at Dell in Austin, Texas. These groups allowed for a wide range of demographics in participants from all over the US and with many different business majors. There were two main sections in the survey, personal experiences with professors and personal experiences with peers. Both asked multiple different hard data questions (multiple choice, numerical rating, drop down) and short answer questions (open ended.) The goal was to gauge participant's experiences with their professors and their peers in terms of sensitivity and see if it helped or hindered their experience transitioning to a full time role. The results for the hard data indicated that there was a significant correlation between better professors being more sensitive and worse professors exercising very little sensitivity. The open ended responses indicated that students preferred professors that gave less sensitive and academic approach and more real life experiences to help them transition to their job. There were many issues to if the open-ended responses specifically addressed sensitivity versus other topics. Three other topics that were clearly alternately identified were class behavior, job relevancy, and professor influence/resistance. Overall from the research completed in this study it can be concluded that sensitivity does not significantly affect the performance in the transition from college to working in a profession environment.
ContributorsGhinos, Christina Eva (Author) / Kellso, James (Thesis director) / Thorn, Taylor (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Digital identification technology is the unsung hero of the LEAN manufacturing, Six sigma quality, and supply chain management movements. By tethering the physical to the digital world digital identification has helped usher industry into the information age. Today this technology continues to become more pervasive and advanced, in the future it is likely that it will have an even larger role to play. In this paper ten sources of current (last 12 months) academic literature will be reviewed in conjunction with two GE cases taken from personal experience in order to better understand the current applications and future trajectory of digital identification. The basis of this paper will be derived from understanding how the most prevalent form of digital identification, barcode is used to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of internal and external business operations. This "current state" knowledge will act as a benchmark to understand the potential diffusion and impact of future digital tracking technologies. The exploration of "up and coming" technologies will lead into a RFID technology deep dive encompassing its current applications and the frictions preventing widespread (barcode scale) implementation. In conclusion the "future state" of how RFID and more complex embedded communication devices will expand the scope of benefits granted by digital identification through a phenomenon known as the internet of things, along with the factors effecting its adoption will be discussed.
ContributorsCampbell, Ross Bradley (Author) / Printezis, Antonios (Thesis director) / Taylor, Todd (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12