IT and Supply Chain Management Faculty Publications and Presentations Copyright (c) 2013 Boise State University All rights reserved. http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs Recent documents in IT and Supply Chain Management Faculty Publications and Presentations en-us Sun, 21 Apr 2013 01:31:15 PDT 3600 Improving Students' Data Analysis and Presentation Skills: The Ocean State Circuits, Inc. Forecasting Project http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/37 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/37 Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:25:57 PDT Many potential employers expect that newly hired students will arrive on-the-job with the ability to analyze data, utilize spreadsheets, and communicate findings and recommendations. We designed the Ocean State Circuits, Inc. Forecasting Project to address these gaps in our students’ knowledge of analytical tools (such as the vlookup() function and pivot tables), their ability to write mathematical formulas in a spreadsheet, their understanding of more advanced data analysis features (e.g., regression, correlation), and their ability to communicate and present managerial conclusions. The exercise requires student teams to act as “consultants” and utilize spreadsheets to analyze and forecast the demand for a hypothetical set of products and then communicate their findings to “management” in a professionally formatted report document. A survey of students that have completed the exercise indicates that their knowledge level of the tools used in the project increased significantly from before to after they completed the case. Similarly, anecdotal feedback from employers suggests that students that have completed the exercise seem more capable of dissecting data when investigating business issues.

]]> James R. Kroes et al. The Cost of Mindfulness: A Case Study http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/36 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/36 Tue, 12 Feb 2013 12:06:19 PST Mindfulness is a concept that refers to the attentiveness and alertness of people to detail. When applied properly, mindfulness improves the reliability of organizational processes, an important dimension to process quality. However, no study measures the cost of implementing mindfulness, which is necessary for managers when allocating scarce resources among competing improvement initiatives. Using the popular P-A-F framework, this study measures the cost of mindfulness in a healthcare context, and suggests consideration of several activities when implementing it in real-world firms.

]]> Douglas N. Hales et al. Estimating Demand for Container Freight Service at the Port of Davisville http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/35 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/35 Tue, 12 Feb 2013 11:55:23 PST The Port of Davisville, located at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, is a former US Navy facility that was turned over to Rhode Island for commercial development when the naval base closed in 1974. Since then, a number of proposals have been put forth to expand the port’s operations to include the handling of containerized cargo. The Port of Davisville’s managing organization, the Quonset Development Corporation (QDC), partnered with this academic research team to objectively analyze the viability of three proposals: (1) a major expansion of the port to make it an international container megaport, (2) a lesser investment to make it a regional international port of entry for containers, and (3) a minor expansion to make it a short-sea shipping container port. We estimated the potential demand for each expansion option using transportation cost optimization models. QDC used our study’s demand estimation in its request for grant funds from the US Department of Transportation’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program. As a result, QDC received $22.3 million to support the development of short-sea container freight shipping services at the Port of Davisville.

]]> James Kroes et al. Online Texts and Conventional Texts: Estimating, Comparing, and Reducing the Greenhouse Gas Footprint of Two Tools of the Trade http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/34 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/34 Wed, 30 Jan 2013 13:23:53 PST Many universities are endeavoring to understand and reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—or carbon footprints. Hard-copy textbooks are (perhaps surprisingly) a large component of this footprint. Because they are “virtual,” electronic texts (e-texts) are often considered environmentally superior to conventional hard-copy texts. However, such claims lack thorough empirical validation. An effective tool for evaluating environmental impacts of products and services is lifecycle assessment (LCA). This article enumerates the steps in the lifecycles of conventional (hard copy) texts and e-texts and it reports the potential GHG footprints of these activities. However, the actual footprint of most products and services depends on how individuals actually use them. Therefore, our second objective is to report survey results regarding actual student behaviors. Combining LCA and survey data, we estimate the GHG emissions of representative e-texts and conventional texts; and we compare the two. This allows us to provide insight into the question, which alternative is best? Just as importantly, our analysis also identifies three levers that administrators, faculty and students can use to reduce text-related GHG emissions.

]]> Thomas F. Gattiker et al. Order of Magnitude Reductions in the Size of Enterprise Search Result Sets Through the Use of Subject Indexes http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/33 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/33 Tue, 15 Jan 2013 11:58:12 PST Keyword search has failed to adequately meet the needs of enterprise users. This is largely due to the indeterminate nature of languages. We argue a different approach needs to be taken, and draw on the success of previous library indexing concepts to propose a solution. We test our solution by performing search queries on a large research database. By incorporating readily available subject indexes into the search process, we obtain order of magnitude improvements in the performance of search queries. Our performance measure is the ratio of the number of documents returned without using subject indexes to the number of documents returned when subject indexes are used. We explain why the observed tenfold improvement in search performance on our research database can be expected to occur for searches on a wide variety of enterprise document stores.

]]> Gregory Schymik et al. Can E-Textbooks Help Save the Planet? It Depends on You http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/32 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/32 Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:33:03 PDT Electronic textbooks, often lauded as a cheaper alternative to hard copies, may also seem like a perfect way for colleges to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions. Many institutions encourage use of e-books, and one state, California, has required that all textbooks used in college classes be made available electronically by 2020. In a sign of growing campus interest in cutting carbon emissions, nearly 700 institutions have signed the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment, pledging to reduce their footprint and to promote education and research on climate change.

]]> Thomas F. Gattiker et al. The Intersection of Power, Trust and Supplier Network Size: Implications for Supplier Performance http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/31 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/31 Mon, 10 Sep 2012 12:00:38 PDT This paper examines the intersecting effects of power, trust and supplier network size on five dimensions of supplier performance (delivery, quality, cost, innovation and flexibility). When assessing main effects, coercive power shows a negative relationship with supplier quality and innovation, referent power shows a positive relationship with all dimensions of supplier performance and legitimate power shows a positive relationship with supplier delivery, cost and flexibility. The supplier's trust in the buyer also shows a positive relationship to all five supplier performance dimensions. While exhibiting no main effects, supplier network size moderates these power–performance relationships. Increasing supplier network size appears to attenuate the impacts of coercive and referent power upon supplier performance, while strengthening this connection in the case of legitimate power. Contrary to our hypotheses, expert power use exhibits a negative relationship with supplier delivery performance, an effect which is exacerbated with increasing supplier network size. Overall, this study suggests that while not as independently important as perhaps thought, selecting the right number of suppliers may have considerable contextual influence on the interplay between power, trust and performance in buyer-supplier relationships.

]]> Regis Terpend et al. Rethinking Design http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/30 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/30 Fri, 31 Aug 2012 11:31:50 PDT Design thinking began as an approach to designing products and services. More accurately, it's an approach that involves designers early in the process—during concept development—rather than having them focus merely on the aesthetic aspects of already developed ideas.

Compared with conventional design practices, design thinking also concentrates heavily on the subjective experience of the end user. Practitioners of the approach consider themselves to be designers of experiences rather than designers of products and services.

]]> Thomas Gattiker Operational Compliance Levers, Environmental Performance, and Firm Performance Under Cap and Trade Regulation http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/29 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/29 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 12:03:07 PDT Cap and trade programs impose limits on industry emissions but offer individual firms the flexibility to choose among different operational levers toward compliance, including inputs, process changes, and the use of allowances to account for emissions. In this paper, we examine the relationships among (1) levers for compliance (at-source pollution prevention, end-of-pipe pollution control, and the use of allowances); (2) environmental performance; and (3) firm market performance for the context of stringent cap and trade regulation with allowance grandfathering (i.e., the allocation of allowances for free). To investigate these relationships, we use data on publicly traded utility firms operating coal-fired generating units regulated by the U.S. Acid Rain Program from three principal sources: the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Compustat database. Our results indicate a significant relationship between better environmental performance and lower firm market performance over at least a three-year period. From a regulatory perspective, our results show a negative association between allowance grandfathering and firm environmental performance. Overall, by explicitly considering the context of stringent regulation, we find a counter-example to the view that better environmental performance generally associates with better economic performance.

]]> James Kroes et al. Championing Environmental Supply Management Initiatives: The Importance of Influence Tactics, Company Climate, and Individual Values http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/28 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/28 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:59:20 PST This focus study is the second part of the 2008 CAPS Research Focus Study entitled Supply Management's Strategic Role in Environmental Practices. In the first study, a broad picture of sustainable supply management was painted, including issues such as drivers, barriers and possible outcomes. While conducting many focus group interviews during the first study, managers constantly stated that they were aware that sustainability was more than the 'flavor of the month,' and that sustainability was quickly becoming a part of the way that their organizations did business. They also stated that sustainability was part of their job responsibilities. The question these managers asked was not "Should we engage in sustainability?" but rather, "How do we initiate sustainable supply management practices?"

]]> Thomas F. Gattiker et al. Comparing the Understandability of Alternative Data Warehouse Schemas: An Empirical Study http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/27 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/27 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:00:59 PDT An easily understood data warehouse model enables users to better identify and retrieve its data. It also makes it easier for users to suggest changes to its structure and content. Through an exploratory, empirical study, we compared the understandability of the star and traditional relational schemas. The results of our experiment contradict previous findings and show schema type did not lead to significant performance differences for a content identification task. Further, the relational schema actually led to slightly better results for a schema augmentation task. We discuss the implications of these findings for data warehouse design and future research.

]]> David Schuff et al. Do Competitive Priorities Drive Adoption of Electronic Commerce Applications? Testing the Contingency and Institutional Views http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/26 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/26 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 11:37:45 PDT This paper expands on recent research by Huang and colleagues examining the drivers of electronic commerce (e-commerce) adoption. Two competing theories are evaluated as predictors of e-commerce adoption: contingency theory and institutional theory. For the contingency view, we focus on three strategic priorities (cost, flexibility and delivery), and for the institutional view, we examine three institutional factors (region, industry and information technology benchmarking). The model is evaluated with logistic regression analysis using survey data from nine countries and three industries. While contingency theory is the norm in the literature, we find only limited evidence that competitive priorities guide e-commerce adoption. By contrast, institutional factors have greater explanatory power.

]]> Xiaowen Huang et al. Strategies for Document Management http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/25 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/25 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:45:18 PDT Keyword search has failed to adequately meet the needs of enterprise users. This is largely due to the size of document stores, the distribution of word frequencies, and the indeterminate nature of languages. The authors argue a different approach needs to be taken, and draw on the successes of dimensional data modeling and subject indexing to propose a solution. They test our solution by performing search queries on a large research database. By incorporating readily available subject indexes into the search process, they obtain order of magnitude improvements in the performance of search queries. Their performance measure is the ratio of the number of documents returned without using subject indexes to the number of documents returned when subject indexes are used. The authors explain why the observed tenfold improvement in search performance on our research database can be expected to occur for searches on a wide variety of enterprise document stores.

]]> Karen Corral et al. Structure-Infrastructure Alignment: The Relationship Between TQM Orientation and the Adoption of Supplier-Facing Electronic Commerce Among Manufacturers http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/24 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/24 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:08:11 PDT Total Quality Management (TQM) is widely adopted in industry and well studied in academe. It includes a philosophy and set of practices for supply management. However, these elements evolved before widespread adoption of the Internet, which transforms the supply management landscape by presenting various tools for organizations to select and manage suppliers. Therefore an important research undertaking today is to understand how the Internet has affected manufacturers that embrace TQM. As part of this undertaking, we examine the relationship between TQM orientation and the adoption of eight supplier-facing e-commerce applications. We propose that certain supplier-facing e-commerce applications enhance competition among suppliers, while others enhance supplier relationships. Drawing upon strategic contingency theory, we hypothesize that TQM orientation is negatively associated with the adoption of the first category of application and is positively associated with the adoption of the second category. Logistic regression was used to test hypotheses using survey data collected from manufacturers located in six countries and three industries. The results show that organizations which have heavily embraced TQM do use e-commerce somewhat differently from other organizations. However, the results also point out potentially troubling inconsistencies between e-commerce adoption and other elements of strategy.

]]> Xiaowen Huang et al. Interpersonal Trust Formation During the Supplier Selection Process: The Role of Communication Channel http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/23 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/23 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:26:50 PDT This study investigates business-to-business interpersonal trust formation (trust that develops between boundary spanning individuals from different organizations) during the price determination stage of the supplier selection process. We first investigate whether trust can form at this stage. Then we examine two factors that may affect trust formation: the communication channel employed by the buyer and the amount of complexity involved in the purchase. Hypotheses are tested with a behavioral experiment (N=117) comparing three communication media (face-to-face, email, and Internet reverse auctions) and two levels of procurement complexity. Results show that trust formation does occur at the price determination stage; however, the degree to which trust grows depends on the communication channel employed and on the level of procurement complexity. Our study enhances managerial understanding of the possibility of developing (or eroding) trust early in the buyer-seller relationship, and it sheds light on the appropriateness of various supplier selection tools under various conditions. In addition, this research contributes to the supply chain management field by complementing the existing trust literature which typically focuses on interorganizational trust that is formed or eroded later in the supply relationship.

]]> Xiaowen Huang et al. Tools and Techniques for Simplifying the Analysis of Captured Packet Data http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/22 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/22 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:30:57 PDT Students acquire an understanding of the differences between TCP and UDP (connection-oriented vs. connection-less) data transfers as they analyze network packet data collected during one of a series of labs designed for an introductory network essentials course taught at Boise State University. The learning emphasis of the lab is not on the capture of the data, but instead on the analysis that follows. By assisting students in developing techniques to filter large batches of data using open-source tools, they gain considerable insight into the differences between aforementioned protocols.

]]> Thomas P. Cavaiani Facilitating Research with Group Support Systems http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/21 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/21 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:21:45 PDT Group Support Systems (GSS) and their effects on group processes and outcomes have been an object of intense study for 10 years. This article takes a different perspective on the involvement of GSS in research. The authors address how GSS tools can facilitate the process of developing and implementing research. A generic model of the research process is used to describe specific suggestions and examples-including three scenarios-for improving researcher efficiency and effectiveness. GSS can provide a variety of benefits to researchers, including basic meeting support for multiple researchers in developing elements of a research project; electronic recording of data from subjects; data analysis; and integration of information and data across the entire research process. Benefits of using GSS to facilitate/support the research process, the limitations of this approach, and the use of GSS to extend the research process beyond its current boundaries are reviewed.

]]> Robert Anson et al. The Purchasing-Logistics Interface: A "Scope of Responsibility" Taxonomy http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/20 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/20 Thu, 26 May 2011 15:54:13 PDT To date, integration research has paid little attention to defining and exploring the interface between purchasing and logistics. This research seeks to catalog the set of joint activities that define this interface, and to analyze the way in which this interface is structured, in terms of how companies assign collective responsibility across the activity set. A cluster analysis of a set of 15 boundary-spanning activities reveals a preliminary taxonomy of three purchasing-logistics interface structures: (a) Purchasing-Dominant; (b) Segregated; and (c) Logistics-Dominant. The analysis also reveals limited evidence that the choice of purchasing-logistic interface structure has an influence on supply base performance. In addition, the choice of purchasing-logistics interface structure appears to be influenced by firm size.

]]> Bryan Ashenbaum et al. Managing Buyer-Supplier Relationships: Empirical Patterns of Strategy Formulation in Industrial Purchasing http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/19 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/19 Tue, 24 May 2011 14:04:27 PDT In this paper, we investigate how industrial buyers align their relationships with suppliers to the contextual characteristics of the purchase. We propose that patterns of purchasing strategy are evidenced, in part, by the alignment of three fundamental domains: the firm's strategic intent for a given purchase, the environment in which a purchase is made, and the type of relationship adopted by industrial buying firms with their selected suppliers. Using a cluster analysis on data collected from 226 buyers in a sample of U.S. industrial firms, we identified four primary types of purchases. Our results provide a partial empirical validation of the purchasing types presented in purchasing portfolio models. However, we identify a fourth type, the adversarial purchase, which cannot be mapped to existing portfolio models. We also found evidence that the dimensions of portfolio models may not be as independent as commonly assumed. We discuss the implications of our findings for practitioners and for research.

]]> Regis Terpend et al. Beyond Face-to-Face: A Field Study of Electronic Meetings in Different Time and Place Modes http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/18 http://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/itscm_facpubs/18 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:22:21 PDT In this article, we present a field study of using an electronic meeting system to support actual meetings in 4 different time and place modes within a large company. The meeting descriptions provide concrete case illustrations of how different meeting modes can work, what types of effects can occur, and factors that contribute to success. Analysis of these meetings focuses on 3 main areas. First, commonalities and differences between these cases are examined to provide insights into how electronic meetings may be affected by the time-place mode in which they occur. Positive findings from previous field studies of EMS use in face-to-face meetings are found to extend to distributed meeting environments. This includes increased productivity, more active participation, and increased buy in and ownership of the meeting results. The distributed meeting modes are also found to impose new challenges related to facilitation and maintaining participation and engagement in the meetings. Among these cases are examples of meetings that use multiple time-place modes to accommodate different components of the overall meeting process. These multimode meetings represent a major trend in group work and provide new options for meeting design.

]]> Robert Anson et al.