Purpose – It is argued that whilst operational and support processes deliver performance presently, it is the managerial processes that sustain performance over time. The purpose of this research paper is to better understand what these managerial processes are and how they influence organisational performance.\ud Design/methodology/approach – The theoretical background is reviewed covering literature on the subject of business process management, resourced-based view (RBV), dynamic capabilities and managerial processes. A research framework leads to qualitative case study-based research design. Data are collected from 37 organisations across Europe, classified according to their performance.\ud Findings – Findings suggest that the five managerial processes and their constituent managerial activities, identified through the empirical research, influence performance of organisations as an interconnected managerial system rather than as individual processes and activities. Also, the execution and maturity of this managerial system is influenced by the perceptions of the managers who organise it.\ud Research limitations/implications – Within the limitation of the study the discussion leads to eight research propositions that contribute to our understanding of how managerial processes influence organisational performance. These propositions and ensuing discussion provide insights into the content and structure of managerial processes, as well as contributing to the debate on RBV by suggesting that managerial processes and activities could be considered as valuable, rare and inimitable resources. Furthermore, the discussion on how managerial perceptions influence the organisation and execution of the managerial system contributes towards our understanding of how and why dynamic capabilities develop.\ud Practical implications – The results suggest that in higher performing organisations, managers: demonstrate a wider awareness of the overall managerial system; achieve a balance between\ud short-term and future-oriented activities; exploit their managerial activities for multiple purposes;demonstrate greater maturity of managerial activities; and pay greater attention to the organisation of the managerial system.\ud Originality/value – This paper presents one of the first empirical studies that attempt to understand how business processes, and particularly managerial processes, as an interconnected managerial system serve to sustain performance of organisations

This paper seeks to address the question ‘How to measure different SMEs’ performances comparatively?’\ud An initial review reveals that the literature does not provide objective and explicit debate on the subject.\ud Consequently, an approach is developed, informed by the literature, which is used to compare the performances\ud of 37 SMEs. The consistency and reliability of the approach is tested, resulting in a ranking of the 37 firms\ud according to their performances. Using cluster and factor analysis the paper demonstrates that leading indicators\ud are somewhat redundant, and that lagging indicators have greater significance for the purpose of comparative\ud measurement of different SMEs performances. Whilst the approach adopted here withstood internal and external\ud validity tests and can be seen as a robust way of comparing SMEs performances, these results may be limited to\ud this study

Increased risk exposure levels, technological developments and the growing information overload in supply chain networks drive organizations to embrace data-driven approaches in Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM). Data Mining (DM) employs multiple analytical techniques for intelligent and timely decision making; however, its potential is not entirely explored for SCRM. The paper aims to develop a DM-based framework for the identification, assessment and mitigation of different type of risks in supply chains. A holistic approach integrates DM and risk management activities in a unique framework for effective risk management. The framework is validated with a case study based on a series of semi-structured interviews, discussions and a focus group study. The study showcases how DM supports in discovering hidden and useful information from unstructured risk data for making intelligent risk management decisions.

The suppliers, which are one of the most important actors in the supply chain, have a significant effect on the performances of their customer firms. Hence, supplier performance evaluation has become a competitive tool in today's goods and service producing industries. This paper presents a supplier performance evaluation process developed using the Six Sigma Define – Measure – Analyse – Improve – Control (DMAIC) methodology. The proposed process has been applied in a central services company, where the suppliers had never been evaluated before. To this end, first of all, the evaluation criteria have been defined through brainstorming and meetings within the company, then weighted with Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), and categorized according to Kano's Model. Afterwards, suppliers have been scored and classified based on a proposed methodology using a modified version of Kano's model, and thus, the proposed process has proven to be useful in real life industrial applications.

No abstract