The international environment today has been undergoing unprecedented change and many companies are seeking new ways to stand out from the competition by sustaining their competitive advantage. Internationalization and firms’ consolidation increase competition in the dynamic marketplace .Companies are no longer staying competitive simply through focusing on product quality and pricing as customers are becoming more high-demanding related to customer service offer. This issue directs the companies’ main focus today to address the customer needs in the ever-changing environment.In order to be the winners in the marketplace, timing and superior customer service are becoming the keys to attain competitive advantage for a company. Time-based competition is an important issue that many companies are facing currently as customers are becoming more time-sensitive and time-oriented in terms of better services, reliability and delivery. To keep up with the changes in demand from customers, it is important to satisfy customers’ objectives and needs in order to provide superior customer service, thus, establish good relationship with them. In the ever-changing and dynamic business environment company needs to adapt and exploit the changes in order to meet the new challenges in the marketplace. It is crucial for the company to respond to changing needs of existing customers and seeking to serve new customers externally. The ways to renew the customers’ services and how they are delivered are critical capabilities for many companies to acquire nowadays. This leads to increasing interaction between marketing and logistics where logistics is considered a platform for supporting new strategic moves on the market.This master thesis originates from a need to research the links between customer service improvement and Just-in-time distribution in order to sustain competitive advantage. We propose to extend the Just-In-Time concept to incorporate a customer perspective, which results in changes the warehousing, ordering and delivering routines. Subsequently, this creates timing ability as well as coordination of information and material flows through timely decisions, which are difficult for competitors to emulate. Based on our analysis and conclusion, companies are recommended to shift from the traditional production-oriented to market-oriented focuses through incorporation of customers' perspective into the value chain. To deploy this, companies should start from the customer end and understand customers' needs and establish mutual beneficial relationships with customers. Long-lasting business relationships ultimately determine the success of the company. Furthermore, we conclude that successful learning to change the routines requires time for the transformation of traditional delivery practice to perform direct deliveries activities. They are based on the common understanding of the tasks and rules as well as common codes of internal coordination processes.

In the increasingly fierce international competition today, short product life cycle has led to lead time compression and narrow profit margins. Rapid respond to customers has become the key to survival of modern enterprises. Many large corporations in Taiwan have implemented the Toyota¡¦s just-in-time (JIT) production planning approach to reduce inventory to a minimum level, keeping on hand only the amount needed in production until the next order arrives. However, most of those companies have often overlooked that the basic principal of just-in-time replenishment model is the raw materials and other purchased items should be delivered steadily by the supplier when they are needed, and meanwhile those materials from suppliers require no inspection. Nevertheless, it is very difficult to achieve those objectives of JIT Production, especially in an increased market demand. Once some of the suppliers can not meet the delivery time of raw materials and quality is also affected, it would derive lots of problems. This study is aimed to JIT replenishment models on examining firms¡¦ inventory issues. Based on the result of the analysis, it would be the reference to build up the model of quality-oriented embedding collaborative replenishment mechanism for enterprises to improve their JIT replenishment operations. This model, quality-oriented embedding collaborative replenishment model, could assist business in measuring the accurate and precise delivery time and ensuring product quality from suppliers. The research is on the basis of Taiwan optoelectronic industry to investigate the companies of the TFT-LCD panel, and the supply chains of the industry. In analyzing the main TFT-LCD panel providers, the paper will probe into TFT-LCD firms to implement the inventory management system by building the quality-oriented embedding collaborative replenishment mechanism to improve the reaction capacity of businesses, to reduce the risk of raw material quality issues, and to respond to the market rapid change. The study exerts simulation software to conduct simulation and improvement of such models, then according to the simulation results to utilize them as a reference to implementation of quality-oriented embedding collaborative replenishment model into the future operation.

Diversity of consumers, timely needs of the times, combined with market information, production and selling out of products, enterprises can profit possible. Want in the fierce competition; we must attach importance to production and sales co-ordination and integration. This study aimed to clarify the "Toyota production and sales integrated management system," in close connection with production and sales, rapid response to changes in the meaning and operation of the structure and conditions of its formation. "Toyota production and sales integrated management system," the biggest feature is the production site with frequent sales information for the various stages of the production plan to do a different range of amendments, the final production and micro-adjustments to billboards, fast response to changes in demand. In the full sales pipeline, the distributor effective master customer information and establish long-term relationships with customers, thus the right to collect and prepare sales forecasts, and quickly back to the Toyota Motor Sales, such as Toyota's strong sales management an important support system behind the production factors. "Toyota production and sales integrated management systems," the transfer of applications across industries, from brand computer makers and electronics contract manufacturing service provider of supply chain production micro-tune the system for evidence. Through analysis and comparison of the two operational framework that, dismantling of production steps, multi-stage production scheduling amendments, the changes in the components remain the highest to the final assembly, so that the flexible "instant production of Just-In-Time" , can be applied in different industries. "Toyota production and sales integrated management systems," the production of micro-adjustment of the operational structure to clarify and resolve inter-industry transfer of instances, not only academic significance, other electronic products manufacturing industry for practical application, also has a reference value.

There has been full of inefficiency and waste in current operation method of steel structure industries. This study hopes to utilize Toyota Just-in-time Production System for fabrication of steel structure to eliminate current each waste during the production process. The main purpose of this study is take case company as an example to discuss the following respects: 1.The current production process of steel structure industries. 2.The application of Toyota Just-in-time Production System in the steel structure fabrication. This study first introduces the framework of Toyota Just-in-time Production System to apprehend its spirit and then explains the concept and advantage of Toyota Just-in-time Production System explicitly. Also, this study compares Toyota Just-in-time Production System with current production method of steel structure industries. Second, according to the glancing of related document reference, this study discusses the application method and its profit for Toyota Just-in-time Production System in the manufacturing industries. As there are significant differences in structure or operation method between steel structure industries and manufacturing industries, thus this study utilizes gradual erection plan to match Toyota Just-in-time Production System during the period of fabrication process plan to eliminate the distinction between these two industries besides explaining the necessary rationalized operation when leading Toyota Just-in-time Production System in. Having visited the production line and made mutual communication with operation chief, this study has found the current problems existing in production management in case company. According to this discovery, this study uses bridge production line and built-up H section production line as pilot implementation to discuss the possible question and solution policy for Toyota Just-in-time Production System concept applied in steel structure fabrication so as to frame the procedures and criterion of Toyota Just-in-time Production System in fabrication of steel structure and also to evaluate its profit.

The thesis is mainly a study on the Flexible Print Circuit which was producing manufactured. The research investigates how the FPC operates based on related product capacity data in the conjunction of back end MPS system data of producing scheduling database. Due to system and relative data collocation, it helps a salesman to make a better judgment on the outcome of an order before making promises to customers. In addition, this paper is looking into how applying the related production management method increases the number of the entire production and improves the efficiency on the production line. Then it studies how using this method can temporarily meet the needs of customers¡¦ big orders & cut-in orders before promising customers the date of delivery. Regarding manufacturing procedure of FPC, the purpose for increasing actual output is achieving the maximum production capability and the best arranging procedure. All information was given by different groups of employees from FPC industry, including its Sales Department, Production Management Department, Procurement Department and Supply Department; it also derives from the interviews with station managers and high level managers. With situation simulation and case simulation will be revised on current product line¡¦s output and try to bring up production operation model of FPC Industry. Finally, changing production management and station order to achieve its maximum production on FPC.

<p>För att skapa mer verkliga siffror och aktualitet i beslutsunderlag har lean accounting som ekonomistyrningsmetod uppkommit. Metoden sägs bättre komplettera de förändringar som skett mot mer processorientering inom företag. Syftet med denna uppsats är att beskriva de skillnader och likheter som förekommer mellan traditionell ekonomistyrning och lean accounting. Även hur lean accounting kan utgöra ett mer komplett styrsystem i processorienterade företag i dess strävan mot lönsamhet, diskuteras. Detta görs för att identifiera de brister som sägs uppkomma då traditionella ekonomistyrningsmetoder används i processorienterade företag. Studien baseras på litteratur inom lean-omårdet samt inom traditionell ekonomistyrning. Resultatet av denna studie visar på hur traditionella mätetal anses skapa ett suboptimerat beteende och förespråka massproduktion för att nå mesta möjliga kostnadsfördelning. Vidare sker en diskussion kring hur företag som arbetar med lean och processorientering, genom att även integrera ekonomisystemen i organisationens arbete och implementera lean accounting, kan få fram och basera sina beslut på mer verkliga siffror och därmed på sikt skapa en ökad lönsamhet i företaget.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Brown University, 2008. / Vita. Advisor : P. Terrence Hopmann. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 303-309).

Studien har undersökt Botrygg ABs ställtider och uppkomsten av byggavfall. Målet har varit att optimera ställtiderna och minimera byggavfallet. Metoderna som ansågs vara lämpligast för studien var intervjuer, framtagning av statistik samt observationer. Detta genomfördes på två av Botrygg ABs byggarbetsplatser med specifikt fokus på platsen Kv. Duvkullen. Intervjupersonerna representerade inköp, logistik, plats -och byggchef. De uppnådda resultaten sett till olika moment i avfallshantering och planering mot ställtider gav möjlighet att dra slutsatser mot vad Botrygg AB kan göra för möjliga ändringar för en förbättrad produktion sett till kostnader, tidseffektivisering och ge en reducerad miljöpåverkan. Framtagna resultat är statistik av byggavfallet vid en av byggarbetsplatserna, intervjupersonernas resonemang och åsikter kring de två berörda frågor, sett till vad som kan göras bättre samt vad som i nuläget fungerar. Dessa resultat jämfördes och följande slutsatser kunde dras: närmare samarbete med leverantörer, vidareutveckla Just-in-time, kontinuerlig kommunikation mellan berörda aktörer, uppföljningar av projektens byggavfall för att se vad som genereras, sätt upp ett tydligt mål om mängder byggavfall genom att t.ex. använda statistik.

Inventory management is today seen as more competitive oriented, process oriented and better integrated into the companies than before. But still do several companies run their inventories according a traditional approach. There is therefore a need for some companies to evaluate their inventory management and adapt the new view. There is also a need to adjust for increased focus on sustainability, previous research calls for strategies and tools that include sustainable parameters without lowering the profitability. The purpose with this study is to assess inventory management principles and purchasing routines related to the acquisition of packaging material in a process industry. The study aims to develop a framework for decision makers in inventory management. This framework will be the basis for a support tool incorporating a relatively simple and easy-to-use user interface. This master thesis is performed as a case study research and uses several data collection methods, such as a literature review, observations, and interviews. The findings from the data collection is used to evaluate which impact inventory management has on a company’s profitability, and which basic parameters that could be included in the support tool. The empirical findings show that Barilla Sweden’s current inventory management match the traditional approach, but also that they strive to become more competitive and process oriented in their management of inventories. There is however some constraints in their working strategy that prevents them from taking the next step. Comparison between Barilla Sweden’s current order size and an economical order quantity (EOQ) and just-in-time (JIT) approach is made. The comparison shows that Barilla Sweden has money to save and warehouse space to release with changed order quantities. Adapting a new inventory management approach require review of uncertainties, such as delivery accuracy and forecast changes. It is also necessary to evaluate supplier relations and internal working strategies. The effect of these parameters on inventory management can be noticed in the support tool. The tool compares total costs, average stock, tied capital, and environmental and social consequences between the EOQ model and JIT. The support tool visualizes drawbacks and benefits with different order sizes and has an easy-to-use interface.

Textbooks are a significant element of the social studies curriculum and teacher pedagogical choice (Apple, 2004; Apple & Christian-Smith, 1991). Students' views of American history are dramatically affected by the textbook narratives to which they are exposed, and teachers often tilt their curricular choices based on the textbooks available to them (Luke, 2006; Schug, Western & Enochs, 1997). The history of our nation's armed conflicts is often presented, through our textbooks and our pedagogy, as a history of reluctant violence, which promotes a particular moral agenda that exerts control over our students' future beliefs and decisions. This is particularly important with regard to our textbook depictions of the U.S. Civil War, which holds a curricular status as a necessary and moral conflict. The "just war" doctrine is a philosophical framework which allows individuals to consider the ethical conditions under which war may be morally permissible, and it provides our students with an opportunity to engage in critical thinking regarding our nation's historical policies. The utility of the "just war" doctrine in American history classrooms is a topic that is largely unexplored in social science education. Therefore, using a critical analysis methodology that evaluates textbook depictions of the U.S. Civil War from a "just war" doctrinal perspective, the ensuing study will contribute to the research base in social science education by elaborating a framework from which teachers may approach the moral realities of war with their students.