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Consider a product take-back regulation with remanufacturing target imposed on a manufacturer. The manufacturer is responsible for regulation compliance by remanufacturing the product collected from multiple geographic regions. The channel alternatives for the manufacturer are 1) regional third-party collection firms, 2) regional third-party collection-remanufacturing firms, 3) a third-party firm for remanufacturing, 4) in-house collection, and 5) in-house remanufacturing. The paper proposes a mixed-integer linear programming problem (MILP) formulation for the manufacturer to select a combination of these channels to maximise the profit over a finite planning horizon. The decision model has the number of used products, remanufacturing approach, heterogeneity in the quality of returned products, and the remanufacturing target as constraints. We conduct numerical analysis using field study data for 200 litres of mild-steel drums in India to draw managerial insights. The vital suggestions and insights are as follows. 1) Regulators to impose incremental targets considering the current optimum level of remanufacturing. 2) A comprehensive remanufacturing target covering multi-region/market to discourage manufacturers from evading behaviour. 3) Managers to assist regional firms in increasing the recovery rate of products that can collect and remanufacture. 5) Manufacturers to remanufacture products during the decline stage of product life cycle (PLC) for higher profits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing studies on disaster relief operations pay limited attention to acts of spontaneous volunteerism by local citizens in the aftermath of disasters. The purpose of this paper is to explore how social preferences motivate citizens to help during post-disaster situations; above and beyond their own self-regarding interests. The paper begins by synthesising the literature on social preferences from the field of behavioural economics and social psychology with the discourse surrounding behavioural operations management and humanitarian operations management. By doing so, we identify the motivators, enablers and barriers of local citizen response during disaster relief operations. These factors inform a theoretical framework of the social preferences motivating spontaneous volunteerism in post-disaster situations. We evidence facets of the framework using archival and unstructured data retrieved from Twitter feeds generated by local citizens during the floods that hit Chennai, India in 2015. Our model highlights the importance of individual-level action during disaster relief operations and the enabling role of social media as a coordination mechanism for such efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to identify and analyse the factors that influence offshore location decisions from an institutional theory perspective. In the years, emerging economies have shown great growth potential and have attracted significant foreign direct investment, especially from companies willing to set up operations. Despite such a seemingly favourable trade environment, not all companies that entered an emerging economy have been successful. Thus, there is a need to understand the factors that influence the success of any offshore location decision. It is also important to understand the relative importance of these factors, in order to develop novel insights useful to practitioners. There is a lack of literature addressing this issue, which this study aims to fill. We conducted a multi-case analysis with examples of European companies entering India. The findings indicate that successful companies employed locally focused business strategies that enabled them to acquire important relationships and knowledge, and also to adapt to formal institutions, including governmental and regulatory procedures. It was found that, irrespective of size, disregarding collaborative strategies was the main reason for exiting India. These findings are highly relevant for managers and policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nation automatically becomes strong if it has self-sufficiency to fulfil its defence requirements. India is moving in the direction to attain self-reliance in the defence sector. The aim of this paper is to analyse the critical issues faced in outsourcing by an organisation in Indian Defence Sector and extend easy, quick, complete and practically implementable risk mitigation strategies for enabling better decision-making. In this research, a list of 20 risk criteria is finalised on the basis of the literature survey and expert's opinion. Analysis in this research shows that, three criteria which can seriously affect the outsourcing are Material shortage risk, Quality Risk and On-time delivery risk. The paper employs an integrated framework which includes 'Grey Theory, Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) and Risk Management Matrices' for a comprehensive risk management in the defence sector. The paper delivers a 10-point risk management action plan to counter the various problems faced during outsourcing in the defence sector, especially in the Indian context. In brief, this paper investigates the various important issues related to outsourcing, which are faced by organisations working in Indian Defence Sector and extends a practically implementable methodology to derive a practically amicable solution for the case organisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The procurement of food grains from farmers and their transportation to regional level has become decisive due to increasing food demand and post-harvest losses in developing countries. To overcome these challenges, this paper attempts to develop a robust data-driven supply chain model for the efficient procurement of food grains in India. Following the data collected from three leading wheat producing Indian regions, a mixed-integer linear programming model is formulated for minimising total supply chain network costs and determining number and location of procurement centres. The NK Hybrid Genetic Algorithm (NKHGA) is employed to cluster the villages, along with a novel density-based approach to optimise the supply chain network. Sensitivity analysis indicates that policymakers should focus on creating an adequate number of procurement centres in each surplus state, well before the start of the harvesting season. The study is expected to benefit food grain supply chain stakeholders such as farmers, procurement agencies, logistics providers and government bodies in making an informed decision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing food demand, environmental degradation, post-harvest losses and the dearth of resources encourage the decision makers from developing nations to integrate the economic and environmental aspects in food supply chain network design. This paper aims to develop a bi-objective decision support model for sustainable food grain supply chain considering an entire network of procurement centres, central, state and district level warehouses, and fair price shops. The model seeks to minimise the cost and carbon dioxide emission simultaneously. The model covers several problem peculiarities such as multi-echelon, multi-period, multi-modal transportation, multiple sourcing and distribution, emission caused due to various motives, heterogeneous capacitated vehicles and limited availability, and capacitated warehouses. Multiple realistic problem instances are solved using the two Pareto based multi-objective algorithms. Sensitivity analysis results imply that the decision makers should establish a sufficient number of warehouses in each producing and consuming states by maintaining the suitable balance between the two objectives. Various policymakers like Food Corporation of India, logistics providers and state government agencies will be benefited from this research study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trust between partners, a key element enabling coordination across supply chains, has recently started gaining attention in humanitarian operations literature. Yet, empirical examination of this concept is scant. Borrowing from extant literature on trust within organisational behaviour stream, this paper aims to empirically verify trust formation types: companion, competence and commitment, in a disaster relief supply chain using primary and secondary data from an Indian Humanitarian relief organisation (HRO). Further, we identify variations in trust formation during disaster relief activities and developmental programmes, and between upstream and downstream partners of a humanitarian relief organisation. Based on the results of our content analysis, we contend that while companion based trust is significantly more prevalent during developmental programmes, competence based trust is important during both disaster periods and otherwise. We also find that there are significant differences in the trust formation between upstream and downstream partners and the HRO. This study has significant theoretical and practical implications on identifying the role of trust in humanitarian operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on green supply chain management (GSCM) or sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) has attracted increased attention in recent years. Although GSCM/SSCM has been studied for developed and developing countries, there has been little information about the adoption of GSCM/SSCM practices in India. This article presents one of the earliest surveys on GSCM practices in Indian manufacturing firms. The items for the survey were developed based on the extant literature and feedback from corporates. Some of the major findings of the survey are as follows. We found that the state of adoption of GSCM practices by Indian firms was still in its infancy, the awareness of environmental sustainability was quite low among consumers, and the regulatory framework was also lacking in terms of promoting environmental sustainability. Results of data analysis showed that supplier collaboration for environmental sustainability had a positive impact on environmentally sustainable product design and logistics, which in turn was positively related to competitiveness and economic performance of the firm. We compared the results with the observations made by other researchers for developed and developing countries and provided managerial implications for the government and manufacturers as to what steps need to be taken to generate awareness towards environmental sustainability and facilitate the adoption of GSCM practices among Indian firms to a greater extent. We conclude the paper by indicating directions for future research on GSCM/SSCM. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a structured, integrated decision model for evaluating suppliers by combining the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) and grey relational analysis (GRA). The qualitative and partially-known information is incorporated in this decision model using the fuzzy set theory. In this proposed methodology, the weights of the evaluation criteria are calculated by using FAHP, then the ranking of the suppliers is determined by using GRA. Finally to show the robustness of the model, a sensitivity analysis is also performed. In this study, the supplier selection problem of an electroplating industry in the southern part of India was investigated, demonstrating the effectiveness of this developed integrated model. This model can help in solving the complex decision in supplier selection practice. The results generated from the model are properly validated and finally a systematic solution with decision support is provided for decision makers. This model can be integrated with other decision support systems of similar kinds of industries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In today's consumer era, of rapidly shortened product life cycles, new product development has become essential for both growth and survival of organisations. The agility of new product development is governed by the effectiveness and efficiency of an organisation's intelligence and knowledge-management skills. In this rapidly changing dynamic and multi-layered environment, recognising, managing and preventing Knowledge Loss can be a key determinant of success of an organisation. In this paper, we argue for a collaborative network structure within the organisation to prevent knowledge loss in new product development. Based on our first-hand observations via an in-depth case study of six Indian auto-component manufacturing companies, we identify the sources of K-loss. We recommend ways to create collaboration pools that increase flow of information and communication and help mitigate knowledge loss throughout the value chain. We summarise our finding as usable rules-of-thumb for helping senior and middle-level managers develop and leverage collaborative networks for effectively managing knowledge loss for their organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper uses the extant literature to identify the key success factors that are associated with performance in the Indian third-party logistics service providers (3PL) sector. We contribute to the sparse literature that has examined the relationship between key success factors and performance in the Indian 3PL context. This study offers new insights and isolates key success factors that vary in their impact on operations and financial performance measures. Specifically, we found that the key success factor of relationship with customers significantly influenced the operations measures of on-time delivery performance and customer satisfaction and the financial measure of profit growth. Similarly, the key success factor of skilled logistics professionals improved the operational measure of customer satisfaction and the financial measure of profit growth. The key success factor of breadth of service significantly affected the financial measure of revenue growth, but did not affect any operational measure. To further unravel the patterns of these results, a contingency analysis of these relationships according to firm size was also conducted. Relationship with 3PLs was significant irrespective of firm size. Our findings contribute to academic theory and managerial practice by offering context-specific suggestions on the usefulness of specific key success factors based on their potential influence on operational and financial performance in the Indian 3PL industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large variety of organisational forms for collaboration have emerged during the last years as a result of the many socio-economic challenges faced by the society and enabled by the new ICT developments. As a result, in both developed and developing countries, different initiatives are carried out to motivate organisations, to network in new collaborative environments for innovation. In few cases, these initiatives have been promoted by Universities where academic researchers play a very important role by diffusing these networking concepts to local SMEs and by carrying out applied projects to coach and guide firms in the formation of these new collaborative environments. The Virtuelle Fabrik and Swiss Microtech in Switzerland and the TeNeT group in India are three successful collaborative environments located in different settings where a local university has played, and still plays, a very important role for the collaborative environments' creation, continuous evolution and improvement. Therefore, the objective of this paper is twofold: (1) to describe the local university key role for developing new collaborative environments and (2) to propose a methodology to benchmark and assess the different initiatives carried out by universities to develop new successful collaborative environments, identifying critical success factors (CSFs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The supply chain cell is a new cross-functional area in many industries in India. It involves the integration of production planning, dispatch order generation and logistics planning, apart from general logistics, which primarily includes distribution. This paper deals with the study conducted for a fast moving consumer goods company having 14 production locations and 22 branches/clearing and forwarding agents. There were 36 packing lines, with each line packing different varieties of stock-keeping units. In this company, supply chain cell activities were concentrated on the middle of the classical supply chain. An attempt has been made to integrate production logic with the logistics by considering the total cost concept. The total cost concept also includes non-quantifiable parameters, which have been incorporated by the use of the analytical hierarchy process. An optimization technique has been proposed simultaneously to support the planning logic developed. The supply chain cell helps to optimize the total supply chain cost as well as enabling it to supplement other benefits such as an improvement in inventory turnover and a reduction in the inventory carrying cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we focus on ripple effect mitigation capability of the Indian pharmaceutical distribution network during disruptions like COVID-19 pandemic. To study the mitigation capabilities, we conduct a multi-layer analysis (network, process, and control levels) using Bayesian network, mathematical optimisation, and discrete event simulation methodologies. This analysis revealed an associative relationship between ripple effect mitigation capabilities and network design characteristics of upstream supply chain entities. Using stochastic optimisation and Lagrangian relaxation, we then find ideal candidates for regional distribution centres at the downstream level. We then integrate these downstream locations with other supply chain entities for building the network optimisation and simulation model to analyse overall performance of the system. We demonstrate utility of our proposed methodology using a case study involving distribution of N95 masks to ‘Jan Aushadhi’ (peoples’ medicines) stores in India during COVID-19 pandemic. We find that supply chain reconfiguration improves service level to 95.7% and reduces order backlogs by 10.7%. We also find that regional distribution centres and backup supply sources provide overall flexibility and improve occupational health and safety. We further investigate alternate mitigation capabilities through fortification of suppliers’ workforce by vaccination. We offer recommendations for policymakers and managers and implications for academic research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop a sustainable freight transportation network considering capacitated cross-docks for minimising the overall supply chain costs, including carbon emission cost. The problem is inspired by a major retail company based in India, which would like to expand its product portfolio in the new region. A mathematical model is developed to minimise total costs encompassing transportation cost, pipeline and retailers inventory cost, fixed cost of cross-dock and carbon emission costs. The deterministic time dependant demand, multiple products and multiple sourcing and distribution are some of the challenges faced by the retail industry. A two-level self-adaptive variable neighbourhood search algorithm is applied to solve a computationally complex problem. The results based on a two-level self-adaptive variable neighbourhood search algorithm are compared with the variable neighbourhood search algorithm to test the robustness of the developed model. Results reveal that an increase in retailers over suppliers significantly influences the number of open cross-docks. A multiple-case scenario approach captures the implications of varying capacity on the number of open cross-docks; thus, supporting the freight distribution managers in making sustainability-driven decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings based on an extensive survey of Indian automobile companies. Five companies have been selected for detailed case studies. Their experiences in the manufacturing strategy process are analysed. Although the companies represented a diversity in terms of sales volume, product range and geographic location, they shared several commonalties including use of advanced manufacturing technologies and other improvement activities. Competitive strength was sustained through quality, innovation and delivery. The process of strategy formulation varied among the companies in terms of participants, complexity and degree of formalization, the practice of each company is different. The process of manufacturing strategy formulation seems to be in line with corporate strategy, though the companies followed a traditional top down approach in formulation of manufacturing strategy under the umbrella of corporate strategy. A taxonomy is proposed using cluster analysis where the companies are classified in four strategic manufacturing groups: reactive enterprise, neutral enterprise, active enterprise and proactive enterprises. Competitive priorities, order winners and critical success factors are identified for these companies after rigorous discussions with the managers. Based on strategic manufacturing issues, the manufacturing competence index for the companies has been worked out. A framework for manufacturing strategy is also proposed based on experiences of the case companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total Quality Management (TQM) is an integrative management philosophy aimed at continuously improving the quality of products and processes to achieve customer satisfaction. The TQM literature is replete with practitioner oriented 'do-everything-right' articles and case studies. There is no complete agreement on operating system elements of TQM. The objective of this paper is to describe an empirical research on the development of an instrument for TQM implementation in business units in India. Through a detailed analysis of the literature, this research identified 150 measures of quality management. After a pre-test, 111 measures were used to develop a questionnaire. These items were empirically tested by data collected from 50 respondents. A factor analysis uncovered ten underlying dimensions of TQM with a total of 106 items. These factors and items were found to be reliable and valid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The level of awareness of Total Quality Management (TQM) has increased considerably over the last few years. Different sets of organizational requirements are prescribed by quality management gurus and practitioners for the effective practice of TQM. These requirements do not seem to have been formulated on the basis of systematic empirical research. Many researchers point out that tacit factors, e.g. employee empowerment, open culture and executive commitment, and not TQM tools and techniques alone, could drive TQM success, and that organizations would need to acquire these factors to stay successful. Many TQM advocates have also suggested that a conducive organizational environment would be essential for an effective practice of TQM. However, they did not offer any empirical evidence. There appears to be no empirical study reported in the literature that could establish a relation between TQM and organizational factors. The objective of this paper is to describe an empirical research on TQM conducted in Indian business units carried out recently by considering some organizational factors, e.g. quality of work life, organizational climate and communication. The methodology and findings are discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adoption of the Paris Agreement in December 2015 and its subsequent ratification through Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) marked, among other things, India's commitment to reduce the emission intensity of its GDP by 33–35 per cent by 2030 from 2005 level. The transport sector, being the prime conduit of production value-chain, has been a major contributor to global energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this context, it is critical production research study that needs to evaluate the linkage of NDC with freight transport. The proposed framework consists of goal setting, seeking expert opinion and driving insights into the field of freight transport. First, goal and criteria or attribute for achieving NDC through the freight sector are identified. Next, expert opinions from transport and climate change specialists are sought. Lastly, results and insights related to the most feasible alternatives, such as heavy road, heavy rail, hybrid, heavy waterborne, and heavy air with regard to the select attributes and its sub-attributes viz, slower growth, structural changes in sector and economy, strategic and operational choices, technology and innovation and regulatory and economic instruments with the help of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) are drawn. The strength of the proposed methodology is that it uses FAHP to prescribe definitive solutions to climate change policymakers and logistics and supply chain managers who otherwise would have found difficulties with such an arcane subject having partial and little quantified information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multistage production systems have been an important quest of researchers over many years. While much work has been reported in this area little appears to have been done when recycling, an inevitable factor in any production system, is present. In this paper, a model for optimal production batch quantity as well as optimal recycling lot size has been developed with a view to minimizing the total operational cost of such situations, where recycling takes place only from the last stage to the first. The model has been validated using sample data from a glassworks, located in Western India. The effects of changes of model parameters were also studied and practical guidelines arising out of the same have been provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine relationships between measures of sustainable freight transport performance (in the context of mid-sized third-party auto components' logistics players) with the associated externalities and firms' intrinsic characteristics when information exchange occurs between logistics firms and the auto manufacturer. Employing a survey-based research methodology, appropriate data were collected for a number of third-party logistics players, thus yielding a total of 708 responses from the operational managers of these firms. The research construct was validated through a rigorous procedure involving measurement and structural equation model. From a theoretical perspective, the results of this study provide evidences supporting systemic relationships between internal enablers of the logistics firms and externalities in the backdrop of environmental sustainability. Major findings indicate that transportation planning and distribution network and, commodity considerations backed by top management support can further environmental performance. Further, we also find evidence that effective transport planning and distribution network design used in conjunction with commodity considerations can be a source of sustainable supply chain performance. By bridging the literature pertaining to environmental sustainability, information exchange, and pertinent external/internal nuances of logistics firms, this study reveals novel findings that can help logistics players streamline operations focused at achieving environmental sustainability performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we empirically test the antecedents and consequences of sustainable manufacturing practices across emerging as well as developed countries such as India, China and OECD. We use data from the sixth edition of International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS) and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to test our conjectures. Our findings suggest that while customer willingness to pay has a significant impact on sustainable manufacturing practices everywhere, stakeholder pressure is able to influence their adoption in OECD and India, but not in China. We also find that firms that are high on sustainable manufacturing practices not only reap sustainability benefits, but also derive cost reduction and quality improvement in many contexts. However, this relationship between sustainability efforts and operational performance is mediated through sustainability performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on the Theory of Constraints (TOC) in the service context and drawing on internal and external service profit chain literature, we explore the role of throughput orientation at the manager-employee-customer triad level. Controlling for archival performance data at the branch level of banks, in a sample of 136 triads of managers-frontline employees-customers at 37 branches from a bank in a northern state in India, we find that throughput orientation is positively associated with external service profit chain; and this association is further strengthened under stronger internal service profit chain. By integrating a service-operations based perspective of service employees at a triadic level, we demonstrate the importance of throughput orientation in service profit chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A closed-loop supply chain configuration (CLSCC) encompasses the decisions related to the optimal selection of options at each stage of a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) for the introduction and reconstruction of new products. The extant literature ignores the impact of supply chain disruptions on CLSCC. An attempt is made to fill this gap in this study. Thus, an integrated multi-sourcing CLSCC optimisation model for new and reconstructed products is developed. The optimisation model presented is a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model. Based on a real-world case study of an auto-parts manufacturer in India presented, a comprehensive set of computational experiments, scenario analyses are conducted. The key finding/observation that resulted from our computational experiments is that multi-sourcing generates higher net present value of total profit compared to single sourcing under the risk of supply chain disruption. Several other observations and managerial insights are drawn from computational experiments, and scenario analyses. Firms interested in configuring their CLSC under the risk of supply chain disruption may use the study's outcomes to understand the profit impact of various CLSCC parameters, individually and in combination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and sustainability are recent buzzwords in manufacturing environments. However, the connection between these two concepts is less explored in the literature. In the current business context, the future generation of manufacturing systems is greatly influenced by the rapid advancement of information technology. Therefore, this study aims to examine the drivers of I4.0 to diffuse sustainability in Supply Chains (SCs). This research identifies the most relevant drivers through the literature and discusses them with area experts. Afterwards, an empirical analysis is conducted to validate the key drivers. Finally, the Grey based DEMATEL method is employed to examine the influential strength of the identified drivers and to build an interrelationship diagram. 'Government supportive policies' and 'Collaboration and transparency among supply chain members' were reported as highly significant drivers of I4.0. This study is an initial effort that investigates the key drivers of I4.0 to achieve high triple bottom line (ecological-economic-social) gains in SCs by taking an example from an emerging economy, i.e. India. This study may help managers, practitioners and policy makers interested in I4.0 applications to diffuse sustainability in SCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of digital technologies such as 'internet of things' and 'big data analytics' have transformed the traditional retail supply chains into data-driven retail supply chains referred to as 'Retail 4.0.' These big data-driven retail supply chains have the advantage of providing superior products and services and enhance the customers shopping experience. The retailing industry in India is highly competitive and eager to transform into the environment of retail 4.0. The literature on big data in the supply chain has mainly focused on the applications in manufacturing industries and therefore needs to be further investigated on how the big data-driven retail supply chains influence the supply chain performance. Therefore, this study investigates how the retailing 4.0 context in India is influencing the existing supply chain performance measures and what effect it has on the organisational performance. The findings of the study provide valuable insights for retail supply chain practitioners on planning BDA investments. Based on a survey of 380 respondents selected from retail organisations in India, this study uses governance structure as the moderating variable. Implications for managers and future research possibilities are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research describes in detail an application of theory of constraints (TOC) and its resulting benefits on the supply chain performance of India's largest lock manufacturing company over a period of seven years. Using TOC's thinking process, the core constraints that had limited the company's performance in the areas of production, distribution, supply group and projects were identified and eliminated. TOC's unique approach helped the company achieve a significant reduction in its finished goods, raw material and work-in-process inventories at various levels across the supply chain. The stock-outs and excess in the distribution system nearly disappeared. The existing lead times saw a drastic reduction while the availability of items increased to nearly 100% despite significant decrease in inventory levels in the supply chain. The inventory turns of the distributors and retailers more than tripled and their profitability increased significantly. The overall sales of the company grew nearly three times during the six years post TOC implementation. TOC's holistic approach helped the company to double its profits and improve its cash position during the Great Recession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, we utilise a multi-method braided approach for a real-world health care intervention in rural India. We first use action research to conceptually underpin the role of self-help groups, disease profiles and appropriate interventions in health care behaviour change and improvement. Action research is then coupled with a non-linear integer-programming-based simulation to determine how health care resources need to be distributed over time, disease type and groups. The action research provides specific research questions and distributional forms needed for the optimisation analysis, while the non-linear integer-programming simulation provides specific recommendations on where and when to distribute resources. External validity of the study is ensured by the adoption of recommendations in the field as part of the action research. Findings from this research have important policy implications. For example, it identifies the value of continuous embedded interventions as opposed to periodic ones and the importance of flexibility in terms of which community groups and disease types to serve over time. This research also provides an important bridge between the operations research, health care in developing nations, organisational theory and humanitarian operations bodies of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total Quality Management (TQM) is an enduring approach for enhancing firm competitiveness. Still, there is dearth of research regarding organisational diffusion (post-adoption) of TQM. To address this gap, this research proposes a theoretical model rooted in institutional and upper echelon theories that explain TQM diffusion via top management commitment. We surveyed 300 senior quality managers representing 300 auto-components manufacturers in India to collect data to test the proposed model using variance based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings suggest that institutional pressures significantly influence top management commitment to TQM. Subsequently, top management commitment influences organisational diffusion of TQM via acceptance, routinisation and assimilation. Managers can use the findings of this research to better understand how to assimilate TQM so that anticipated benefits can be fully realised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable manufacturing practices are essential for automotive component manufacturing organisations to ensure competitive advantage. The interrelation between sustainability enablers' namely economic prosperity, environment well-being, social well-being, performance management and research and development need to be analysed for deriving practical insights. Theoretical model development of enablers using interpretive structural modelling (ISM) has been statistically verified using measurement models and structural model of partial least square, structural equation modelling (SEM). In this context, this article presents a combined ISM and SEM approach for building the models with the help of experts for automotive component manufacturing organisation. The measurement and structural model are constructed based on survey among 70 practitioners from automotive component manufacturing organisations in Southern India. The research hypotheses have been formulated to verify the relationship and are analysed. The results of the study indicated that the usage of ISM is very powerful to establish structural relationship between sustainable manufacturing enablers and there exist structural relationship between the enablers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The advent of increasing industrialisation and globalisation has put pressure on Indian enterprises to increase the integration of environmentally conscious manufacturing practices into their operations. Numerous studies have explored this strategy but there are significant gaps in the existing literature, particularly in environmental practices specific to India. In this connection, there is a need to explore green manufacturing practices (GMP) in an Indian context. The purpose of this article is to select the best GMP based on dimensions and relevant criteria with the assistance of a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making model combining DEMATEL based on ANP (DANP) with Preference Ranking Organisation METHod for Enrichment Evaluations. A methodological framework is proposed to evaluate GMP and the same is validated within a particular single case industry situated in the southern part of India, who is the leading manufacturer of rubber tyres and tubes. By virtue of these findings, industries can identify the best GM practice to adopt in order to increase the chances of profit and performance throughout their systems. This study concludes by successfully identifying the best GM practice for this case industry, and it provides some important managerial implications. This research explores some future trends to make the study more reliable in changing real life scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Due to growing awareness about environment protection, firms are forced to implement environmental practices to enhance their green image. In recent times, academicians and practitioners have shown interest in green marketing and green supply chain management (GSCM). Fields of green branding and sustainability have seen special interest from different business disciplines including information management, marketing, supply chain management, etc. Due to economical and ecological impact, there is a growing concern for the environment and related critical issues. Pressure on the environment is dynamic and diverse, and demands new levels of accountability, financial commitment and supply chain capabilities. Indian manufacturing industries have started adopting green concepts in their supply chain management giving special attention to environmental issues based on pressures from different directions, e.g. customer pressure, government regulations etc. Yet, industries struggle hard to identify essential pressures for implementation of GSCM. This work focuses mainly on identifying such pressures for implementation of GSCM. Initially 65 pressures were identified through detailed literature and categorised into six groups. Then common acceptable pressures were identified through a questionnaire survey from different industrial sectors in Phase 1. Finally, essential pressures are prioritised with the help of analytic hierarchy process in Phase 2. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The objective of the study is to select the best performing supplier among the group according to the prioritisation of performance criterion through the application of techniques like MISM (modified interpretive structural modelling), MICMAC (impact matrix cross-reference multiplication applied to a classification), and AHP (analytical hierarchy process). To understand the interaction between the factors and to prioritise them, MISM technique has been applied by using which weights have been calculated for the performance factors and establishing a contextual relationship between the available factors and then ranking of the factors is done based on the results obtained. In the MICMAC analysis, performance criteria are classified into four clusters depending upon their driving power and dependence power. This helps to find out which criteria are influencing the supplier selection process. AHP is used to rank the supplier to find the best one from the group of suppliers. After ranking the suppliers, sensitivity analysis has been applied to determine the most critical criteria i.e. how sensitive is the ranking of the alternative to the change in weights of the criterion or the alternatives. A study was done in an automotive component manufacturing industry in the southern part of India. Finally, validation of the model is performed by the sensitivity analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Tolerance design has been identified as one of the key areas to realize the objective of producing quality goods at affordable cost. The impact of tolerance on the cost of manufacture for various metal-removal processes are shown by cost models. These cost models are in turn used in tolerance design to arrive at the relative cost of manufacture to various tolerances. Most of the cost models available untill recently were based on data from industries in the USA. However, Gunasekaran et al. (Gunasekaran, K., Neelakrishnan, S., Ragu, K. and Mohanram, P.V., Influence of tolerance on cost for various manufacturing processes, in National Conference on CAGQ - 2004, Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai, India, 2004) presented the relative cost of tightening manufacture in Indian industries for attaining various tolerance values in Indian rupees and the results have been presented in graphical format. These formats are useful in determining the cost involved when tolerance synthesis methods are used to allocate tolerances to parts. In order to have an understanding of the costs involved to manufacture to a specific tolerance among the job shop-type and organized sector found in Indian industry, the cost versus tolerance data presented by Gunasekaran et al. (job-shop industry) have been compared with further data gathered by the present authors. In addition, the comparison includes the cost curves presented by Chase et al. (Chase, K.W., Greenwood, W.H., Loosli, B.G. and Hauglund, L.F., Least cost tolerance allocation for mechanical assemblies with automated process selection, J. Manuf. Rev. ASME, 1989, 2(4), 49-59). This is especially useful in analysing the differences in sourcing from a job shop versus the organized sector. In addition, the results that are displayed graphically are also compared with the cost models that already exist. In addition, one of the benefits of the cost curves is illustrated with a case study of a simple component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A distance-based multi-criteria consensus framework on the concepts of ideal and negative-ideal solutions is presented for the ABC analysis of inventory items. This article demonstrates a way of classifying inventory items using the TOPSIS ('Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution') model. The methodology has been applied in a pharmaceutical company located in the heart of Kolkata, India. The technique takes into account various conflicting criteria having incommensurable units of measurement. Unit cost, lead time, consumption rate, perishability of items and cost of storing of raw materials have been considered for the case study. By using TOPSIS, the items are ranked in categories A, B and C. The suitability, practicability and effectiveness of the TOPSIS method used in ABC classification have been judged using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique. A simulation model has been used to compare the proposed model with that of the traditional ABC classification technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]