PurposeThis paper aims to empirically test the relationship between supplier relations and satisfaction with overall supplier performance in a services context at a process level of analysis.Design/methodology/approachTwo hypotheses are developed, one predicting a positive relationship between a multi‐dimensional construct of supplier relations and satisfaction with overall supplier performance, and one five‐part hypothesis predicting positive relationships between the underlying components of supplier relations and satisfaction with overall supplier performance. Using a sample of 108 financial services processes, the first hypothesis is tested using regression analysis, and the second hypothesis is tested using correlation analysis.FindingsAfter controlling for supplier efficiency and responsiveness, use of information technology, electronic information‐sharing, supplier type, and firm size, better supplier relations are associated with satisfaction with overall supplier performance. However, while the “partnering” components of the relationship (i.e. cooperation and long‐term commitment) are correlated with satisfaction with overall supplier performance, the “operational” components of the relationship (i.e. high degree of coordination, information‐sharing, and feedback) are not.Research limitations/implicationsLimited informant population, primarily single respondents, some single‐item variables.Practical implicationsThe research results suggest not only the importance of improving overall supplier relations, but also the particular benefits of building partnerships within the service supply chain through co‐operation and long‐term commitment in order to increase satisfaction with overall supplier performance.Originality/valueUnlike most empirical supply chain management studies, which use data from manufacturers at the strategic business unit or firm level, and recognizing that services and manufacturers differ in certain respects that are salient for supply chain management, this study uses data from a services industry (i.e. financial services) collected at the process level and provides unique insights into services and process level supply chain management.

No abstract

Educating management students in technology-based disciplines can be enhanced through experiential team projects simulating the activities employees perform in actual technology jobs. This paper describes an experiential team project the authors use in the Management Information Systems course at Boston College. The project was developed jointly by Boston College faculty and consultants from the Boston office of a major consulting firm. The project involves student teams playing the roles of IT consultants who must compete against one another to win a consulting engagement at an imaginary company. The company's business situation is communicated to students through a case study written in the format of a Request For Proposal (RFP) informing information technology (IT) vendors that the company is interested in procuring a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. Each student team develops a consulting proposal responding to the RFP and presents the proposal to company managers. The activities involved in identifying the company's business needs, developing a proposal, and determining which team "wins" the contract are simulated through phone calls and live meetings with company managers, who are role-played by consulting firm employees. These real-life business interactions expose students to the ever changing nature of IT, motivate them to improve their technical understanding, and challenge them to improve their communication skills through written deliverables and live business presentations. Student buy-in and response to the project is

The paper proposes that improvements in the productivity of process technology can be achieved by analyzing and instituting changes in the rules and methods through which work is organized. The implementation of information-based process technology in a bank's check processing system provides the context for the study. A simulation approach is used to assess the benefits of introducing alternative workflow scheduling rules after implementation of the new technology. Results from a hypothetical setting, using data from an actual check processing center, demonstrate the cost advantages of introducing a priority-based scheduling rule. The implications and problems associated with practical implementation are discussed.

Shipley Company supplies photoresist to the microelectronics industry for use in chip making. A design team developed a new photoresist using Taguchi experimental designs to describe the linear responses of key characteristics and linear programming to optimize the factors of formulation. We interchanged objective statements and property constraints when key properties were identified. This method of development allowed the design team to take the new photoresist, Megaposit S9400, from concept to marketplace in just seven months.