• Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.1-8
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• 2014

The broad aim of this paper is to provide a detailed understanding of the post-war problems associated with materials for reconstruction in Libya, and to identify key problems and obstructions. Theoretical and empirical studies are being conducted in Libya. The theoretical study focuses on materials for construction and the key issues such as sources, transport and storage of materials, as well as their impact on the national economy, the nation's socio-economic development and the environment. This empirical study employed questionnaires, observations and a series of interviews with researchers, academics, suppliers and manufacturers, supported by the researcher's three decades of experience of working in the construction industry and its associated processes and operations. The empirical study illustrated that materials for post-disaster reconstruction in Libya suffer from external problems related to policies and decision-making in terms of availability of materials, fluctuation of prices of materials, specifications, building codes, legislation and regulations, and internal problems related to the construction and building material's key players: construction companies, consultancy firms, manufacturers and suppliers.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute Of Construction Engineering and Management
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.3-8
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• 2007

"The world is flat" as the popular author Thomas L. Friedman declares in his best belling book about the progress of business globalization in the $21^{st}$ century [3]. Construction projects and related businesses have been global since the 1800's, but it has never seen such rapid transformation in both scope and depth as in the past decade. Construction projects today often bring together international design talents, construction management firms, local and international labor forces, and global suppliers. On a visit to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on the Persian Gulf, a person will experience the complexity of globalization of modern construction projects- with Arab owners, European engineering and design companies, American construction management teams, Korean general contractors, Jordanian subcontractors, and labor forces from Thailand, Indonesia, Turkey, and Sri Lanka. A count of material suppliers reveals over 60 countries involved, covering all continents. Indeed construction projects are getting more and more complex and competitive, as is the project execution. The trend toward globalization poses both challenges and opportunities to construction and engineering companies competing on a global scale. While global competition may be a threat to many companies, there are, however, many opportunities for synergistic collaborations that can create win-win scenarios for construction business, research, and education. This paper presents some of the opportunities between the U.S. and Asia in business integration, research collaboration on technologies, and educational development, which may mutually benefit countries on either side of the Pacific.

• Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2012

Supplier selection is an essential task within the purchasing function of supply chain management because it provides companies with opportunities to reduce various costs and realize stable and reliable production. However, many companies find it difficult to determine which suppliers should be targeted as each of them has varying strengths and weaknesses in performance which require careful screening by the purchaser. Moreover, information required to assess suppliers is not known precisely and typically fuzzy in nature. In this paper, therefore, fuzzy multi-objective linear programming (fuzzy MOLP) is presented under fuzzy goals: cost minimization, service level maximization and purchasing risk. To solve the problem, we introduce an enhanced two-phase approach of fuzzy linear programming for the supplier selection. In formulated problem, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used to determine the weights of criteria, and Taguchi Loss Function is employed to quantify purchasing risk. Finally, we provide a set of alternative solution which enables decision maker (DM) to select the best compromise solution based on his/her preference. Numerical experiment is provided to demonstrate our approach.

• The Journal of Information Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.65-79
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• 2006

e-Marketplace is a business concept which is importantly considered in the area of marketing. e-Marketplace provides the public field in which multi-purchasers can efficiently trade with multi-suppliers. Supply Chain Management(SCM) is being widely acknowledged by the development of information technology. SCM is well known as one of the key issues lately. The complexity of supply chains and the associated potential opportunities for gaining a competitive edge by designing a product and process to support supply chain management can be significant. In order to achieve successful implementation of supply chain management system, companies should understand some barriers in implementation and set up effective and integrated information system. Standardization of logistics is needed through the unification of EDI, Bar Code, Pallet and so on. It's effect is magnified on Efficient Consumer Response such as efficient store assortment, efficient replenishment, efficient promotion and efficient product introduction. International logistics management is the integration of key business processes from original suppliers to end user that provides products, services and information that add value for customers. e-Logistics is being used in managing the international logistics. In this study, three basic e-SCM models for the strategic implementation of supply chain management are suggested. Among them, the virtual company can be the best one we can develop in order to cope with the individualized customer needs.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.261-271
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• 2019

The study aims to investigate corporate social responsibility (CSR) best practices of the world automotive industry - Peugeot, BMW, Ford, Hyundai and Toyota among others - and recommend that they plan their business strategies and managerial responses accordingly. Based on the comparative research and case studies, this research finds that all five automobile manufacturers have taken very similar measures and actions in order to establish and maintain a high level of CSR practices. Sustainability was a core value in all five companies and served as a guiding principle in every aspect and approach of their business. This study finds that all five companies have CSR strategies in place to increase energy efficiency as well as reduce the usage and wastage of water in their production and plants. This research also finds that all companies monitor their suppliers and their own production process to ensure that they maintain their CSR standards. More impressively, this sustainable management practice is transferred along the companies' supply chain through education and training. Their suppliers and business partners are closely monitored to make sure that their high CSR standards are respected and followed. However, we find that there also are some differences in terms of their CSR deliveries and activities.

• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.25-58
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• 2022

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyzes the RPA fitting processes by the casese of manufacturing SMEs(Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) in an exploraty approach. Based on the findings on the RPA fitting processes, we intend to provide a cornerstone for developing a general-purpose RPA introduction model in the future. Design/methodology/approach In this study, empirical cases of RPA fitting processes were analyzed based on interviews with project managers of specialized IT suppliers in charge of RPA development and managers of IT departments of manufacturing SMEs that actually introduced RPA. In order to explore various RPA fitting process in the manufacturing value chain, a total of 7 manufacturing SMEs were interviewed, ranging from companies using a legacy system to companies without a legacy system. Over the primary and secondary activity processes, the details of RPA processes were analyzed in the steps of 'Frequency Identification, Input Processing, Source Identification, Inquiry and Processing, Information Registration, Result Reporting'. Findings From the analysis, we derived some exploratory results that the processes over 0.25 FTE and related with many suppliers and clients are fitting for RPA introduction in manufacturing SMEs Our results will provide basic data for the development of the future general-purpose RPA introduction model for manufacturing SMEs, providing practical reference for RPA introduction.

• The Journal of Economics, Marketing and Management
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.1-13
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• 2022

Purpose: The findings are expected to be used as basic data for policy establishment for systematic support and upbringing of small and medium-sized suppliers through the current status and characteristics of the industrial structure of the MRO consumable materials industry as a whole and the market trend. Research design, data, and methodology: This survey is conducted in 2019 mainly for companies that operate consumable materials delivery business, and the survey size is about 25,000 in advance (selected) and about 2,000 in the main survey. Using cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling, we derive the visualization of the homogeneous grouping of cases and the relationship structure between them. Results: Based on the attributes of reason for not having an online trading system, it is classified into three and four clusters for industry and company size, respectively, and the feature and pattern of each individual can be are relatively evaluated and visualized. Conclusions: Small and medium-sized consumable material suppliers specialize in products rather than fierce pricing strategies or external expansion strategies and it is more effective to establish a plan to promote the growth of both large and small enterprises through cooperation with large corporations.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.11-26
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• 2022

Purpose: Manufacturers rely on interfirm governance mechanisms to reduce the risks inherent in uncertain environments; however, it is unclear which governance mechanisms are developed to manage relationships with suppliers. This study sought to enhance knowledge of how environmental uncertainty affects interfirm governance mechanisms under conditions reflecting varying levels of structural holes. To this end, the study investigated the relationships between manufacturers and major first-tier and sub-suppliers. In particular, the moderating effect of structural holes is examined. Research design, data and methodology: A questionnaire survey was conducted with a major first-tier supplier of a Korean engineering firm. Proposed hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Results: The results show that while the relationship between environmental uncertainty and unilateral governance is positive but statistically insignificant, with bilateral governance is negative and statistically significant. The study also demonstrates that when structural holes are considered, the effects between environmental uncertainty and governance mechanisms are attenuated. Conclusions: This study suggests some theoretical and managerial contributions between exchange partners, especially, the results suggest that structural holes have a critical competitive advantage in uncertain environments. Therefore, manufacturers should carefully consider how they deal with environmental uncertainty when they make a business decision under structural holes situations.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.15-22
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• 2023

LPG-related accidents, which account for half of all gas accidents in Korea, have not shown any sign of decrease over the past decade, partially owing to the lack of effective safety improvement measures. The purpose of this study was to identify the effectiveness of improvement measures by analyzing the traits of accidents in terms of human factors, and to seek more effective accident prevention strategies. In this study, 108 accident cases were collected and analyzed in the aspect of accident characteristics such as violation type, human factors, and so on. The results showed that the work procedures of suppliers and engineers related to LPG accidents seemed to be similar in outward appearance; however, specific accident causes and unsafe behaviors were different. Particularly, type and target of violations were different, which could be visually confirmed by the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the Quantification Techniques (QT). Furthermore, for engineers, insufficient supervision was a major influencing factor. In conclusion, because the accident characteristics of suppliers and engineers are different, differentiated accident prevention strategies should be implemented, which was discussed in this study.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.9-18
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• 2023

Purpose: The ability of a firm to acquire resources through marketing networks is crucial for its competitiveness. Nonetheless, the influence of these networks on the performance of a firm's innovation is still uncertain, particularly in the face of environmental uncertainty. This research investigates the impact of marketing networks, specifically network embeddedness and structural holes, on the performance of innovation in situations characterized by environmental uncertainty. Research design, data and methodology: The empirical examination was carried out within the framework of internal network entities, specifically the manufacturer-supplier-sub supplier relationships, involving the primary suppliers of a Korean engineering firm. Construct measures utilized in this study were derived from existing measures and prior research. A questionnaire survey was conducted with a major first-tier supplier of a Korean engineering firm. Proposed hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Results: The survey findings suggest that only network embeddedness has an impact on the perception of major first-tier suppliers regarding the buyer's innovation performance. Conclusions: To strengthen the empirical evidence regarding the effects of marketing networks on innovation performance, future research should take into account cultural factors such as collectivism, which is indicative of the distinctive business-to-business marketing relationships observed in the Korean context.