Bakgrund: Flera stora produktionsföretag har börjat använda sig av utvecklingsprogram för sina leverantörerna för att sprida beprövade tanke- och arbetssätt och därigenom erhålla förbättrade prestationer av leverantörerna. Denna utveckling har i flera fall visat sig ge positiva förändringar på leverantörernas prestationer men det har varit svårt för kundföretagen att få kännedom om vad som verkligen har hänt i leverantörernas verksamheter. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att utreda vilka effekter som eftersträvas och erhålls när stora produktionsföretag, genom utvecklingsprogram, bedriver leverantörsutveckling. Genomförande: Data och information har insamlats genom personliga intervjuer hos personer från ett stort produktionsföretag samt ett tvärsnitt av tre leverantörsföretags personal. Resultat: Studien visar på att bakomliggande motiv till leverantörsutveckling är stabilitet i flödet, långsiktiga leverantörsrelationer, optimala processer och upprätthållandet av kontinuerliga förändring. Alla dessa motiv ligger som grund för ett övergripande motiv som är ökad konkurrenskraft i förädlingskedjan. Studien visar även på att beståndsdelar i utvecklingsprogram kan vara utbildning, gemensam problemlösning och certifiering av leverantörens verksamhet. Studien indikerar på initialt motstånd till leverantörsutvecklingen från leverantören. Resultatet av studien visar emellertid att leverantörsutveckling kan resultera i ett antal positiva effekter hos leverantörerna. Studien visar på positiva effekter på arbetsmiljö, personalens prestationer och samarbete, produktiviteten samt relationen till kundföretagen. Studien indikerar även att leverantörsutveckling kan få vissa effekter på leverantörerna i led två.

Natural disaster hits and damages the lives thousand of human beings and their infrastructure. Natural disaster can not be stopped but we can minimize the volume of devastation and destruction caused by the disaster. Especially, in third world countries the level to respond the disaster is limited and narrow, so these countries have to suffer more then the developed countries, where as in developed countries valuable recourses and effective planning are existed to deal with natural disasters. So this thing insists me to write something just to get know how about all humanitarian and relief activities.I have utilized the SCM Supply chain management practices and techniques in order to conquer barriers faced by logistician of humanitarian response/ relief operation during disaster. I will use methodology of empirical data technique, barriers will be discovered and analyzed then proposed solutions would be picked up from the literature of supply chain management for the barriers to effective humanitarian logistics.There is a mixture of SCM principle from various organizations such as military, private sector and nonprofit organization in order to provide a utility to disaster/ response operations. The output of this research will show the easy makeup of SCM remedies to control the complexities and difficulties of logistics process during disaster relief operation in results and analysis chapter.Natural disaster hits and damages the lives thousand of human beings and their infrastructure. Natural disaster can not be stopped but we can minimize the volume of devastation and destruction caused by the disaster. Especially, in third world countries the level to respond the disaster is limited and narrow, so these countries have to suffer more then the developed countries, where as in developed countries valuable recourses and effective planning are existed to deal with natural disasters. So this thing insists me to write something just to get know how about all humanitarian and relief activities.I have utilized the SCM Supply chain management practices and techniques in order to conquer barriers faced by logistician of humanitarian response/ relief operation during disaster. I will use methodology of empirical data technique, barriers will be discovered and analyzed then proposed solutions would be picked up from the literature of supply chain management for the barriers to effective humanitarian logistics.There is a mixture of SCM principle from various organizations such as military, private sector and nonprofit organization in order to provide a utility to disaster/ response operations. The output of this research will show the easy makeup of SCM remedies to control the complexities and difficulties of logistics process during disaster relief operation in results and analysis chapter.

Environmental awareness has increased rapidly around the globe inrecent years, which has lead to consumer demands for sustainable products. Inreaction to this, companies try to keep up with consumer demands and green theirsupply chain, in hope to acquire a competitive advantage. This research willtherefore determine to what extent these green supply chain practices influence thebuying decision of consumers.Environmental awareness has increased rapidly around the globe inrecent years, which has lead to consumer demands for sustainable products. Inreaction to this, companies try to keep up with consumer demands and green theirsupply chain, in hope to acquire a competitive advantage. This research willtherefore determine to what extent these green supply chain practices influence thebuying decision of consumers.

<b>Context</b>. This thesis takes an opportunity perspective. Radio Frequency Identification technology (RFID) has showed potential in enhancing and optimizing supply chains. For Pan Nordic Logistics (PNL), this represents an interesting opportunity and a possibility to enhance goods flow, increase quality, and gain competitive advantage. <b>The study</b>. This study has looked at how RFID could benefit PNL. A number of opportunities have been identified. Of these opportunities, the ‘Hub’ in Jönköping has been analyzed in further detail. The current logistics process has been mapped out in order to determine where in the logistics process the technology could have the optimal impact. Since it is not possible to perform a full financial evaluation without benchmarking and measuring the effects of RFID, a framework have been provided for future measurement, evaluation, and implementation. <b>Findings and recommendations</b>. This study concludes that an RFID implementation at the ‘Hub’ in Jönköping is ‘most likely’ to be financially feasible. RFID is a promising technology that should be taken to the next level. A small-scale implementation is recommended in order to ‘try out’ the technology and to fully evaluate how it could be adapted to fit existing solutions of PNL such as computer systems. If implemented, this trial should serve to map out the financial side of the technology using the provided framework. It is currently neither possible, nor feasible to fully understand the financial impact of the technology. Such a forecast would be imprecise and possible misleading.

Radio Frequency Identification RFID är en teknologi för att kunna identifiera produkter via radiovågor, detta med hjälp av radiosändare. Denna uppsats intresserar sig för hur RFID kan användas i tillverkningsföretag och om tekniken kan förbättra och förenkla materialflödesprocesserna. RFID är en relativt komplicerad teknik därför har denna uppsats som syfte att ge företag praktiska tips inför en implementering. För att kunna besvara problemformuleringen har Hästens Sängar AB används som praktikfall. Intervjuer har även gjorts med RFID leverantörer och av företag som idag använder RFID, för att få det praktiska perspektivet. RFID används mer och mer i tillverkningsföretag även om utvecklingen har gått långsammare än förväntat. Tekniken kan enligt teorin förbättra kontrollen i följande processer: beställning &amp; lager, tillverkningsprecision, plockkvalitet och leveransprecision. Tekniken kan förbättra kontrollen och därmed effektivisera arbetsprocessen vilket i sin tur genererar tidsbesparing och ökad lönsamhet. Det finns dock risker med RFID, såsom höga kostnader, bristen på standarder och ökad sårbarhet. Det bör göras uträkningar på avkastning på investeringen innan RFID implementeras. Tidsbesparing och ökad vinst av kontroll är något som behövs räknas ut och analyseras. Efter det börjar implementeringsfasen. Det är viktigt att tänka på att RFID måste vara individuellt utformat för att fungera optimalt. RFID är inget ”plug and play” system, det kommer att behövas en lång testperiod med justeringar efter att systemet är implementerat. Det är även viktigt att ha en noga utformad kravspecifikation och uppsatta mål som utfallet kan jämföras mot. För att RFID ska kunna öka kontrollen krävs det att systemet fungerar felfritt. Det finns dock externa material som kan försämra användningen. Metall och vätska kan försämra taggarnas radiovågor. Även utomhusklimat som inkluderar hög/låg temperatur, fukt och dimma försämrar taggarnas sändningsförmåga. Det kan även finnas högspänningsledningar hos företagen som försämrar taggarnas funktion. Det är därför viktigt att analysera dessa problem innan en implementering utförs. För att motverka sådana komplikationer kan olika sorters taggar användas och även olika frekvenser på radiovågorna. RFID är en teknik som om den fungerar till fullo kan öka möjligheten till kontroll och jämförelse vilket i sin tur kan leda till ökad kvalitet även till ökad effektivitet vilket leder till ökad lönsamhet. Nyckelord: RFID, Supply Chain Management, implementering, processförbättring

The role of purchasing in supply chain management has received and continues to receive increasing attention as the years go by. Purchasing enhances efficiency and competitiveness among other benefits but to realize these benefits it is imperative to select and maintain competent suppliers. However, many factors affect a firm’s ability to choose the right supplier. Uncertainty is an issue that has received great attention. It affects all functions of a company consequently affecting purchasing and supplier selection. This thesis seeks to provide an understanding of the supplier selection process and criteria under circumstances of uncertainty in the case where the potential supplier under evaluation is a newly created company. The authors try to find out if uncertainty varies with firm’s age and tested the suitability of existing criteria on the selection of newly created firms. They also sought ways by which uncertainty can be reduced.One of the realisations of this thesis is that there is a relationship between the characteristics or problems faced by new firms and uncertainty. Uncertainties created by new firms include lack of trust and commitment, inadequate finance, poor quality, unreliable delivery times, inadequate logistic technological capabilities. No new types or sources of uncertainty were discovered however, it was found that uncertainty was certainly higher when working with new firms. The criteria delivery, quality, cost/price, financial position and communication and technology were recognized as the commonly used criteria a fact confirmed from empirical results as well as in previous literature. However other criteria such as ISO certification, reliability, credibility, good references and product development were also identified. These criteria had existed before but did not receive the same attention in previous studies. This show that focus is shifting from solely relying on quantitative factors to include qualitative criteria. The study identified that some methods of minimising uncertainty could include detailed financial analyses, site visit, intensive verification, close relationships, ISO certification, good references and recommendations. It is worth noting that uncertainty cannot be entirely eliminated in all situations

As a new economy emerges, driven mainly by information technology, we have seen global expansion and prosperous development from the United States. During the last 10 years, research into the increasingly important issues posed by globalization has been carried out in all divisions of the social sciences. As a widely accepted and used concept, however, the word ¡§globalization¡¨ does not guarantee a greater understanding of the world. An existing analytical structure still dominates studies of globalization, and it reveals that current standpoints and mindsets of specific academic disciplines have caused many debates. For example, Held et al (2001¡G3-19) proposed five major controversial globalization issues worthy of study: ¡§conceptualization of globalization¡¨, ¡§causal relationships of globalization¡¨, ¡§definition of the globalization period¡¨, ¡§impact and influence of globalization¡¨, and ¡§trace the development of globalization¡¨. This study focuses on how Taiwan¡¦s science and industrial parks affect Taiwan¡¦s domestic economy and vision with their positioning, transformation, and future development in the competitive global market. China¡¦s gigantic and attractive market and Taiwan¡¦s current political limitations mean that globalization and regional coopetition are indivisible issues for the purposes of this research. Science parks in Asia have become a fast-rising clustering phenomenon as the largest in the world in this new century, and one result has been Taiwan¡¦s success in the global electronics (wafer fab) industry. Currently there are three major science (industrial) parks in Taiwan, located (by order of establishment) in Hsin-chu, Tainan, and Taichung. All three are important bases of Taiwan¡¦s scientific industry. The contribution of these parks to Taiwan¡¦s GDP has increased in each of the 26 years of their development. This study aims to reconstruct the competition model of Taiwan¡¦s science parks from the view point of data processing. This research will also analyze the maintenance of Taiwan¡¦s economic advantages and influence of these government-supported parks¡¦ development mechanism on the nation¡¦s economy in the midst of a fast-changing global business environment, in the hope of continuous, excellent innovation and performance.

Abstract Due to the fast growing of the globe economy, on the steady quality of the electronic equipment for accurate electrical machinery that the industries application, are requested strictly. The maintenance management in the electric power companies is the main reason that influences the steady quality of the electric system equipment. High level maintenance is expected and the third party service company joint to the market. The main managed strategy leads to "customer satisfaction " and " customer requirement¡¨. Electric equipment supplier focus on sales business, not offering an complete maintenance service, therefore, the related orders often has been shifted to third party. To set up a collaboration solution which solves this problem, it is our researching target with valve. According to the predicament of maintenance system of the power industries, and the discussion and writings via the domestic and foreign language, this research uses ¡§Supply chain, &¡§Value system¡¨. To analyses with ¡§QFD¡¨ and modified ¡§CCM¡¨ then build up a conclusion according with the collaboration maintaining system for triple player. Keywords: Collaborative maintenance management System, Supply Chain Management, Value System, Quality Function Deployment, Collaboration Coordination Mechanism.

Food product contamination leading to a food borne illness is real and has potentially devastating impact on supply chain operations and cost. However, it is not well understood from the quantitative perspective. This research seeks to fill this gap by providing a generic model of a multi-stage food supply chain consisting of a supplier/grower, processing center and retailer(s) and analyzing the impact of food product contamination in this model. The supplier corresponds to the farm/grower of the raw material such as fruits and vegetables, the processing center processes the raw material into a final food product and the retailer corresponds to the supermarkets and grocery stores selling the food product to a customer. A situation where a contamination occurs at the supplier or processing center potentially resulting in a food borne illness to the customer is considered. The contamination is discovered through periodic sampling tests conducted by the grower, processing center or through the outbreak of a food borne illness. The supply chain is modeled utilizing a G/G/1 queuing system at the processing center and an order- up to policy at the retailer(s). This research develops and compares multi-stage supply chain models with varying number of retailers. The negative dependence of contamination on the origin and mode of detection of the contamination is quantified. The differences in individual food product attributes which can impact the cost of contamination are analyzed. The impact of supply chain structure and properties and detection policies on the severity of potential contamination cases is studied. The most cost effective sampling strategies which companies can adopt in the event of product contamination are derived. The payoff from the implementation of a quality control process which can eradicate contamination is evaluated. A numerical study of the impact of a real-world contamination event on a tomato and lettuce supply chain is also conducted. Finally, a traceability system capable of tracking and tracing back products in the event of a food product recall is incorporated in the supply chain model. The value of traceability for different supply chain scenarios is assessed through the implementation of an ARENA based simulation model.

Extranets as they have come to be termed are revolutionizing supply chains and their management. Companies and organizations with quite different internal information systems can now access data from other supply chain members. Information can be shared easily and at relatively low cost. A major benefit that flows from this greater transparency is that internal operation of the business can become more efficient as a result. This thesis studies extranet in development of supply chain from case company’s perspective. Finnsementti Oy was chosen as a case company because they had a desire to improve the operation of their supply chain by developing an extranet. Finnsementti Oy is a Finnish cement manufacturer since 1914. At the moment Finnsementti produces 85% of the cement needed in Finland. Most of company’s business is B-to-B.Finnsementti actively develops its operation and this thesis also supports that goal by aiming to improve the efficiency of Finnsementti’s supply chain which again is assumed to have a positive impact on competitive advantage and profitability. Based on a CRM study conducted in spring 2005 Finnsementti Oy decided to develop its existing rarely used customer forum into an efficient customer-oriented extranet. Finnsementti aims to improve its customer service, improve supply chain performance and make its order and delivery process more efficient. In advance extranet was assumed to enable all this. Extranet project was initiated in early fall 2005 and this study was initiated simultaneously. The starting-point of this thesis was Finnsementti’s desire to implement a supply chain improving extranet, and in order to do that, the implementation had to be successful. Due to the fact that supply chains are currently evolving towards networked e-supply chains there is quite lot of existing literature about how a supply chain performance can be improved by using electronic tools. This study concentrates on these facts, related assumption and expectations. It was also evaluated from case company’s perspective how likely these expected improvements are going to realized; is there something unexpected and additional that Finnsementti has not been able to predict? In order to find this out extranet was studied at first from literature and then from case company’s and their employee’s perspective. One of the goals of this study was to determine what is the actual condition for completing this extranet project successfully because only that can enable the realization of supply chain improvements. How to make employees and customers adopt this new extranet and so that they will start to use it actively in their daily activities? The foundation for this part of the study was the comprehensive literature review conducted on supply chain improvements. Based on that, observations and interviews, an expectations theory was built. According to this theory user’s realistic and accurate expectations make a good foundation for accepting a new information system. If the user’s expectations are fulfilled, user will perceive the new system easy to use and useful which on the other hand leads to acceptance of the system. This expectations theory can be used as a starting point for almost any information system implementation where user acceptance is considered critical.