Current Issue : January - March Volume : 2016 Issue Number : 1 Articles : 4 Articles
Healthcare organisations all over the world are looking for ways to improve operational\nefficiencies at reduced costs without affecting their services. This study was undertaken to\nfirst and foremost examine the supply chain practices at KATH Pharmacy, and secondly to\nassess those practices in the light of industrially accepted best practices. Primary data was\nobtained from fifty-five (55) respondents and the data were analysed using SPSS, and\nqueuing model. Interesting findings emerged from the study, including patients spending an\naverage of 12 minutes within the system of drug dispensing unit. However, this time can be\nreduced if the numbers of servers within the facility is increased by way of opening more\ndispensing outlets....
Globalisation requires from companies greater flexibility and adaptability of its internal processes, to allow them be aligned to market requirements. This flexibility results in new forms of relationships between partners, supply chains. For these chains differentiate themselves from their competitors, they should add value to products and services that they deliver to the end customer, while being profitable from the standpoint of its processes and operations. In this sense, would be needed effective supply chain management, which is constituted by collaboration and cooperation among partners, strategic and processes integration, to result in a profitable operation, and products and services with added value to the customer. Additionally, because logistics is a key element for the integration and collaboration among SC members, and due the fact that, depending of the scope of these chains, there are potentially more risks happening, which may have negative impacts on the customer service level, and consequently, loss of effectiveness of their logistics processes. This study aims to analyze the risks in a product distribution process in the Brazilian automotive sector, considering the operations performed by a logistics operator of this automaker....
This study examines the relationships between customers� perceived functional (social) benefits\nfrom service providers and customers� perception of service innovation. It also assesses the\nmediation effects of their participation on their perception of service innovation. Focusing on\nservice centers for ITproducts, structural equation modeling is used to test the hypotheses with\ndata collected from 116 university students in South Korea. The results demonstrate that\ncustomers� perceived functional benefits from service providers and their perceived social\nbenefits significantly and positively influence their perception of service innovationat service\ncenters for IT products. Additionally, customers� participation partially mediates the relationships\nbetween their perceived functional (or social) benefits, and their perception of service\ninnovationat service centers for IT products. The theoretical and managerial implications of\nthese findings are also discussed.These findings may help in identifying factors that enhance\ncustomers�perception of service innovation....
This paper analyses reefer cargo maritime shipping characteristics and development in South American East Coast ports. The geographical area studied goes from Punta Arenas (Chile) to Manaus (Brazil). The study main hypothesis is reefer shipping as a profitable market niche in spite of higher operation costs and a very demanding supply chain. The paper comprises three sections: the first one describes global reefer cargo transportation general characteristics; the second, reefer shipping in South American ports, focusing five main issues: (1) Cargo flows; (2) Ports infrastructure; (3) Post-Panamax vessels operation and its economies of scale; (4) Shippers and carriers� mergers and acquisitions processes and (5) Containerization process; finally, it investigates the marketing relationship between shippers and shipping liners. The exploratory study was based on technical reports and statistics analysis, and interviews with industry executives, performing a multicase study. The general conclusions indicate that South American reefer market has concluded most of its containerization process and is moving fast towards a concentrated market of players. Some experts consider that the market will keep increasing as a result of the improved quality of products and enhancing cold logistics services provision in spite of the international crisis, due to emergent markets buying and more demanding clients....
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