Background: the concept of postponement primarily aims at reducing uncertainty, not to say eliminate it. It is achieved by postponing processes until the required information be- comes available. Although the concept of postponement is not new, its application and connection with e-commerce companies operating on the B2C sector has gained little at- tention. Postponement is presented as having four forms: the full postponement strategy, the logistics postponement strategy, the manufacturing postponement strategy and the full speculation strategy. Although every strategy presents pros and cons, some are more ade- quate given different circumstances. Purpose: the purpose of this study is to explore (1) which factors determine whether e- commerce companies use postponement, and (2) which determinants are responsible for their strategy selection. Method: a qualitative research approach was used, with a multiple-case study as the re- search design. The empirical data was collected through in-depth semi-structured inter- views with four respondents, from four different companies. Conclusion: the authors presented a revised version of the framework they used to con- duct this research. Some determinants, present in the original framework, were removed given the authors’ findings. However, eight of the remaining determinants were kept in the revised version of the framework. The ones concerned were: the volume, the product type, the product range, the value profile, the relative delivery time, the delivery frequency, the uncertainty of demand and the economies of scale. Furthermore, the authors’ findings sug- gested a new determinant should be added to the framework, namely the number of key suppliers. With the help of the framework e-commerce companies can now evaluate their products according to the framework and decide accordingly whether they should apply postponement, and if so, which strategy suits them the best.

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Postponement as a tool of creating flexibility is not a new concept. It traces back in literature to the 1950’s but was mainly argued as a method useful for manufacturing. However, postponement could potentially be used in all different parts of an organization to delay certain activities, and thereby create flexibility, which is crucial in today’s volatile marketplace. Customers are requiring customized products, yet they are not willing to pay premium for processes involved. Also, competition is increasing, as retailers around the globe compete with each other due to internet and improved information systems. This study focuses on a retailer’s perspective in the supply chain, as previous studies mainly discuss manufacturers, and their different abilities of achieving flexibility. Supply chain management as a concept are discussed, which is described as an integrative approach to dealing with the planning and control of the materials flow from suppliers to end users. This will further be “extended” to demand chain management, where focus lies at customers’ demand and puts emphasis on the needs of the marketplace and identifies the roles and tasks to be designed in the supply chain to satisfy these needs, instead of starting with the supplier/manufacturer and working forward. This is closely connected to flexibility, and postponement as a tool to achieve this. Flexibility as such, is described as the ability to change, or adapt to customer demand. This study aims to explore the Swedish retailing business, and their use of postponement strategies. A quantitative study has been made to be able to create a general picture of their use of this tool, as well as their prerequisite for adopting this tool. This study shows that retailing in general do have adopted strategies for customizations except non-specialized stores where answers to a wide extent differed regarding their use of flexibility. However, these strategies mainly regard packaging, and/or basic customizations. Depending on the market certain retailers are active within; postponement is used in various extents. Expensive products, or customers requiring big quantities of products, are able to get these customized. Money is almost always the main concern in these adaptations. Some factors that have been studied, that were enablers of flexibility and postponement strategies, were not able to be analyzed as very low results were calculated. However, the main-factors: flexibility and postponement were able to be analyzed in detail, as well as discussions regarding the inconclusive data gathered.

Expanding product variety and high customer service provision are both major challenges for manufacturers to compete in the global operating environment. In addition to reduce cost and response customers¡¦ needs quickly, redesigning products and processes so as to delay the point of product differentiation is becoming an emerging means to meet these challenges. Consequently, this is the concept of postponement. The principle of postponement calls for redesigning products and processes so that the stages of the production process in which a common process is used are prolonged. Once orders are received, manufacturers finish the final operation to address the demands of mass customization. However, the product / process redesign will produce additional costs and the trade-off between costs will make enterprises hesitate to change the points of differentiation. Moreover, when the outside conditions change, the framework of total costs also changes and the operating decisions must be reconsidered again. In this paper, we develop a simple model that captures the costs and benefits associated with the redesign strategy in various scenarios. We apply this model to discuss the following three key questions: (1). In each scenario, where is the point of differentiation in the production process¡H (2). How should a firm design its processes to lower the total cost when changing is impossible or too costly in the fast changing environment¡H (3). If an agile firm can change its mode of production to respond to the ever changing environment, how should it adjust the pattern of postponement to lower the total cost¡H Since there are wide varieties of postponement, we focus our model to analyze two different product / process redesign approaches, namely, standardization and modular design, that are motivated by many real examples. We also compare these two approaches in all respects to provide more explicit principles and directions for enterprises. Finally, we draw the following conclusions. First, in determining the stage at which the point of differentiation should occur, the key variables are the investment cost per operation and the additional cost, including the processing cost and inventory holding cost, that are resulted from postponement. The trade-off between those variables will determine the optimal postponement strategy. In the case when outside condition is unfavorable for firms, it may not be advisable to apply the principle of postponement. On the hand, when the condition is beneficial, postponement is a better choice.

Postponement, which is a stategy in the area of supply chain management, has a long history of practical applications as well as academic literature. However, most existing studies are conceptual and the main method of empiprical study is case study, which leads to the empirical findings are not able to be generalized to other companies or industries. In addition, past empirical researches are almost entirely conducted in the Western countries. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the motivations, current situations, facilitators and and results of postponement in Greater China (including Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan). This study conducted two interviews and a questionnaire survey by e-mail across three industries. The result indicated that postponement application in Greater China was growing and the degree of postponement application was higher than the previous evidences in the West regions. Rather, environmental uncertainty, administrative factors, and IS maturity had positive effects on postponement application. In addition, industry characteristics would also affect the types of postponement strategy used. As to the results of applying postponement, postponement indeed raises company performances, but it is not necessary to facilitate companies outsource operations activities.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T17:42:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo9447_1.pdf: 1216480 bytes, checksum: d3089599b8755ef4d7954308fd259da6 (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / O presente estudo visa analisar a busca de vantagens competitivas através da inovação: Um estudo de caso da Medical Brasil. Inicialmente, este estudo propôs mostrar a vantagem competitiva que foi alcançada pelo modo com que uma empresa colocou em prática de fato as estratégias genéricas: liderança de custo, diferenciação e enfoque. Sendo que a vantagem competitiva surge, fundamentalmente, do valor em que uma empresa tenha condições de criar para seus compradores. O valor desse trabalho se justifica pela importância que a tecnologia de inovação traz para a empresa vantagem competitiva e esta faz parte do composto de produto que é fator preponderante no processo produtivo ou de serviço para a satisfação das necessidades perceptíveis dos consumidores. Durante algum tempo, os consumidores percebiam, na marca Medical Brasil, produtos de qualidade superior, porém, com preço acima dos seus concorrentes diretos e com pouca flexibilidade. O consumidor, muitas vezes, realiza uma compra através da marca. A tomada de sua decisão é baseada na força que esta marca exerce, onde pode facilitar a sua persuasão. Dessa forma, esta pesquisa procura responder a seguinte questão: como a inovação dos processos de produção da Medical Brasil trouxe vantagens competitivas com a aplicação do postponement? A metodologia utilizada nesta dissertação foi de natureza qualitativa, seguida por estudo de caso exploratório. Conclui-se, portanto, que o modelo proposto e atual de produção com aplicação do postponement trouxe resultados satisfatórios com a redução de custos, melhoria no atendimento ao cliente, aumento da flexibilidade e o início da internacionalização da empresa

Submitted by João Arthur Martins (joao.arthur@ufpe.br) on 2015-03-05T19:03:08Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação.Marcelo mestrado.pdf: 1216281 bytes, checksum: 87ff839183970cd869f3d0d14417d124 (MD5) license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T19:03:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação.Marcelo mestrado.pdf: 1216281 bytes, checksum: 87ff839183970cd869f3d0d14417d124 (MD5) license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-02 / O presente estudo visa analisar a busca de vantagens competitivas através da inovação: Um estudo de caso da Medical Brasil. Inicialmente, este estudo propôs mostrar a vantagem competitiva que foi alcançada pelo modo com que uma empresa colocou em prática de fato as estratégias genéricas: liderança de custo, diferenciação e enfoque. Sendo que a vantagem competitiva surge, fundamentalmente, do valor em que uma empresa tenha condições de criar para seus compradores. O valor desse trabalho se justifica pela importância que a tecnologia de inovação traz para a empresa vantagem competitiva e esta faz parte do composto de produto que é fator preponderante no processo produtivo ou de serviço para a satisfação das necessidades perceptíveis dos consumidores. Durante algum tempo, os consumidores percebiam, na marca Medical Brasil, produtos de qualidade superior, porém, com preço acima dos seus concorrentes diretos e com pouca flexibilidade. O consumidor, muitas vezes, realiza uma compra através da marca. A tomada de sua decisão é baseada na força que esta marca exerce, onde pode facilitar a sua persuasão. Dessa forma, esta pesquisa procura responder a seguinte questão: como a inovação dos processos de produção da Medical Brasil trouxe vantagens competitivas com a aplicação do postponement? A metodologia utilizada nesta dissertação foi de natureza qualitativa, seguida por estudo de caso exploratório. Conclui-se, portanto, que o modelo proposto e atual de produção com aplicação do postponement trouxe resultados satisfatórios com a redução de custos, melhoria no atendimento ao cliente, aumento da flexibilidade e o início da internacionalização da empresa.

[pt] Apresentada atualmente como importante para a vantagem competitiva das empresas, a adoção da customização em massa de seus produtos, como estratégia de marketing aplicada para atingir as necessidades individuais de cada consumidor, tem sido adotada por diversas empresas, nos mais diferentes segmentos da indústria. Para tal, essas empresas, entre outras ações, têm aplicado estratégias específicas de postponement em suas cadeias de logística e de suprimentos, como meio de enfrentar possíveis transtornos que uma produção em massa de produtos com características personalizadas submete à empresa. Resistindo a essa tendência de mercado, as construtoras e incorporadoras de edifícios de apartamentos atuantes no município do Rio de Janeiro continuam oferecendo seus apartamentos sem qualquer detalhe personalizado pelo cliente. O cliente, para adequar o apartamento as suas necessidades, aguarda a entrega das chaves para realizar as modificações que achar necessárias. Partindo desse cenário, esta pesquisa tem por objetivo examinar as razões que levam as empresas construtoras e incorporadoras de edifícios de apartamentos a não ofertarem plantas flexíveis de apartamentos. Toma por base o mercado imobiliário de novos apartamentos do município do Rio de Janeiro. Neste contexto, busca explorar aspectos mercadológicos, legais e técnicos que podem afetar a implementação da técnica de postponement no setor de construção de edifícios de apartamentos. Para tanto, foi realizada uma extensa investigação na literatura, bem como um levantamento em campo junto a especialistas na área, e levantados dados a respeito de aspectos legais que norteiam os projetos de apartamentos, da percepção dos consumidores em relação à possibilidade de disporem de uma oferta de apartamentos com plantas flexíveis e também de características que definem a cadeia logística e de suprimentos do setor de construção de edifícios de apartamentos. / [en] Presented nowadays as important for the competitive advantage of the companies, the adoption of mass customization of products, as marketing strategy applied to reach the individual needs of each consumer, has been adopted by several companies in the most different sectors of the industry. For such, these companies, among others actions, have been applying specific strategies of postponement in its logistics and supply chains, as a way of facing possible upsets a products mass production with personalized characteristics presents to a company. Resisting to this market trend, the construction companies and incorporators of buildings of apartments in Rio de Janeiro`s municipal district continue offering its apartments without any customized detail. So, in order to adapt the apartment to his needs, the client waits the delivery of the keys to perform the changes that might be necessary. From this scenary, this research aim to examine the viability of application of postponement on supply chain of the construction companies and incorporators of buildings of apartments. It is based on the real state market of new apartments of the municipal district of Rio de Janeiro. In this context, seeks to explore marketing, legal and technical aspects which can affect the implementation of postponement technique in the section of construction of apartaments buildings. In order to achieve this, it was performed a widespread investigation in the literature, interviews with specialists in the area, and data was gathered concerning the legal aspects which lead the apartments projects, the consumers` perception regarding the possibility of having an apartment offer with flexible plants and also the characteristics that define the logistics and supplies chains of the buildings` apartaments construction sector.

Unibrands is a small company that has implemented a postponement strategy without knowing it. However, they have not implemented completely because they do not know the theories behind it. This report is an attempt to understand and analyze the problems of the implementation of postponement in the supply chain of Unibrands, in terms of examining the theoretical succeeds factors of postponement implementation in the case of Unibrands.The purpose is to determine what type of postponement strategy the supply chain use and what factors can hinder the use of postponement strategy in a SME fashion supply chain by applying an qualitative research approach. The collection of empirical data was through the interview guide approach in which we used meetings and telephone interviews with people representing Unibrands and their contact trading company. The results of this research can be concluded in few perspectives. Unibrands is imple-menting postponement in an improper format, with the results of several gaps in the supply chain related to the success factor in postponement. The request for the fully customization in colors and materials, the bottleneck of relationship developing which is caused by factory manager,  complicated procedures for sample testing, and lack of knowledge of different relationships in the supply chain. Postponement is never perfect, but for Unibrands some problems could very well hinder the efficiency in the supply chain. Solutions are proposed to solve the problems in chain. The proposals suggest re-lationship improvement and information sharing. In addition, culture adaptation by in-volving the right people in the right process.

Postponement is widely recognised as an approach that can lead to superior supply chains, and its application is widely observed as a growing trend in manufacturing. Form postponement (FPp) involves the delay of final manufacturing until a customer order is received and is commonly regarded as an approach to mass customisation. However, while much is written in the literature on the benefits and strategic impact of FPp, little is still known about its application. Thus this research project aims to address how FPp is applied in terms of the operational implications within the manufacturing facility. Here the ‘postponed’ manufacturing processes are performed in the factory where the preceding processes are carried out. An in-depth case study research design was developed and involved case studies at three manufacturing facilities, which provided diverse contexts in which to study FPp applications. Each case study incorporated multiple units of analysis which were based around product groups subject to different inventory management policies – FPp, make to order (MTO) and make to stock (MTS). The same research design was used in each study and involved both qualitative and quantitative evidence. Qualitative evidence was gathered via structured interviews and included the operational changes required to apply FPp in a previously MTO and MTS environment. Eleven quantitative variables, providing a broad based measurement instrument, were compared across the three units of analysis to test the hypotheses. This combination of qualitative and quantitative evidence in the case studies helped to triangulate the research findings. Comparison between the three case studies provided further conclusions regarding operational implications that were context specific and those which were not. The research concludes that the manufacturing planning system presents a major obstacle to the application of FPp in a MTO and MTS environment. In spite of this, and even when the FPp application is flawed, the benefits of FPp still justify its application. The research also contributes two frameworks: one which determines when FPp is a viable alternative to MTO or MTS; and another that illustrates the major operational implications of applying FPp to a product exhibiting component swapping modularity.