Managing Disruptions and the Ripple Effect in Digital Supply Chains: Empirical Case Studies
Handbook of Ripple Effects in the Supply Chain, 2019
This chapter studies the impact of accelerating digitalization on supply chain risk management. T... more This chapter studies the impact of accelerating digitalization on supply chain risk management. The interrelationships between digital technologies and supply chain disruption risk are analyzed using multiple case studies from various industries. The empirical analysis guided a conceptual framework based on extant theory and specific hypotheses. The chapter concludes with a discussion of research opportunities for future study. In particular, the discussion involves perspectives and future transformations that can be expected in the transition toward cyber-physical supply chains.
This study aimed to identify the attitudes of regular school teachers in Delhi, India, toward the... more This study aimed to identify the attitudes of regular school teachers in Delhi, India, toward the inclusion of students with disabilities. It also explored their views regarding facilitators of inclusive education. Respondents were secondary school teachers working in schools in Delhi that implement inclusive education for students with disabilities. Two focus group interviews with ten participants in each group and 20 individual semi-structured interviews were conducted. The flexible qualitative analysis program QRS NVivo was utilized for data analysis. The major finding of the study was that the teachers held positive attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities. The teachers also suggested a number of facilitators of inclusion in their schools such as improved infrastructure, policy changes, and provisions for institutional resources.
International Journal of Integrated Supply Management, 2017
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate research trends observed in the International Journal of... more The purpose of this paper is to evaluate research trends observed in the International Journal of Integrated Supply Management (IJISM) during its first 10 volumes, which extend over a total of 175 research papers published between 2004 and 2016. The work at hand first develops a conceptual framework for classifying papers that appeared in IJISM. Papers are then assigned to the framework to identify popular research topics and research methodologies used, and to highlight publication patterns that could be observed in the first 10 volumes of the journal. The paper concludes with an outlook on possible perspectives for the journal.
Ghanaian teachers: competencies perceived as important for inclusive education
International Journal of Inclusive Education, 2016
The study aimed to explore the teaching competencies teachers in Ghana perceived as important to ... more The study aimed to explore the teaching competencies teachers in Ghana perceived as important to their teaching in inclusive classrooms. Using a quantitative research approach, 163 regular school teachers from two geographic regions of Ghana completed a 14-item questionnaire titled Perceived Competencies for Inclusive Teaching Scale and an open-ended question about the supportive resources they require to be effective in their classrooms. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA and t-tests were used to analyse the data and the results showed that Adapting Instructional Materials, Behaviour Management, among others were important competencies. Teachers in multigrade classrooms considered particular skills are important, reflecting their challenging roles. The respondents also identified the availability of teaching materials, support teachers, more training as key support resources, which will enhance their effectiveness in the classroom. We discuss the implications for future teacher training.
This study examined the training needs of regular secondary school teachers in Delhi, India in or... more This study examined the training needs of regular secondary school teachers in Delhi, India in order to effectively teach students with disabilities. 130 teachers responded to a two-part survey. A discrepancy analysis model was used to determine the training needs of the teachers. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The competencies needed most strengthening were: assessment of students with disabilities, professional knowledge of special education and collaboration skills for working with other school professionals. The implications for teacher training in India are discussed in terms of the different models that can improve teacher quality for inclusive education.
Abstract Similar to Western countries, the early origins of special education in India started wi... more Abstract Similar to Western countries, the early origins of special education in India started with Christian missionaries and nongovernmental agencies which stressed a charity model of serving populations such as the visually, hearing, and cognitively impaired. However after its independence from Great Britain in 1947, the Indian government became more involved in providing educational, rehabilitation, and social services. Thus over the past four decades, India has moved gradually toward an inclusive education model. This chapter discusses the implementation of such a model related to the prevalence and incidence rates of disability in India as well as working within family environments that often involve three to four generations. Also included are challenges that an inclusive education system faces in India, namely, a high level of poverty, appropriate teacher preparation of special education teachers, a lack of binding national laws concerned with inclusive education, a dual governmental administration for special education services, and citizen’s and special education professionals strong concern about whether inclusive education practices can be carried out.
h i g h l i g h t s Teachers in inclusive schools did not consider themselves competent. Signific... more h i g h l i g h t s Teachers in inclusive schools did not consider themselves competent. Significant differences in all competencies between two groups of teachers. Significant differences in teacher competencies by background variables. Lack of training and resources emerged as major concerns.
International Journal of Purchasing and Materials Management, 1996
His research interests include infrastructural issues that impact the adoption of technology, the... more His research interests include infrastructural issues that impact the adoption of technology, the interaction of materials management and human resource issues, and environmentally responsible manufacturing. Ajay Das is a doctoral candidate in Production and Operations Management at Michigan State University. Earlier he worked as a materials manager in several multinational firms in Asia. His research interests are in the areas of industrial sourcing and manufacturing flexibility. Sime Curkovic is a doctoral candidate in Operations and Sourcing Management at Michigan State University. His current research focuses on manufacturing strategy, environmentally responsible manufacturing, purchasing strategy, and quality initiatives.
Implementing inclusive education in Delhi, India: regular school teachers’ preferences for professional development delivery modes
Professional Development in Education, 2013
Transport and dielectric properties of -zirconium phosphate–polyaniline composite
Materials Chemistry and Physics, 2005
The synthesis of conducting composite involving polyaniline in the layered zirconium hydrogen pho... more The synthesis of conducting composite involving polyaniline in the layered zirconium hydrogen phosphate, α-Zr(HPO4)2⋅ H2O (α-ZrP) and its subsequent characterization and dielectric properties are reported. Aniline monomer is introduced into the interlayer space of α-ZrP by adsorption. The encapsulated aniline is polymerized by chemical oxidative method by adding appropriate amount of ammonium peroxodisulphate (APS) solution. X-ray diffraction patterns show that
Social impact analysis on technology transfer
The Journal of Technology Transfer, 1993
As societies and cultures are changed, technology transfer is an integral part of the process of ... more As societies and cultures are changed, technology transfer is an integral part of the process of creating a new world order. A primary question is whether technology transfer serves as a force for good or evil. Based on some of the recent history of the United States and the ...
Despite the generally positive contribution of supply management capabilities to firm performance... more Despite the generally positive contribution of supply management capabilities to firm performance their respective routines require more depth of assessment. Using the resourcebased view we examine four routines bundles comprising ostensive and performative aspects of supply management capabilitysupply management integration, coordinated sourcing, collaboration management and performance assessment. Using structural equation modelling we measure supply management capability empirically as a second-order latent variable and estimate its effect on a series of financial and operational performance measures. The routines-based approach allows us to demonstrate a different, more fine-grained approach for assessing consistent bundles of homogeneous patterns of activity across firms. The results suggest supply management capability is formed of internally consistent routine bundles, which are significantly related to financial performance, mediated by operational performance. Our results confirm an indirect effect of firm performance for 'core' routines forming the architecture of a supply management capability. Supply management capability primarily improves the operational performance of the business, which is subsequently translated into improved financial performance. The study is significant for practice as it offers a different view about the face-valid rationale of supply management directly influencing firm financial performance. We confound this assumption, prompting caution when placing too much importance on directly assessing supply management capability using financial performance of the business.
Evaluating Prospective e-Providers: An Empirical Study
The Journal of Supply Chain Management, 2007
It has been problematic to evaluate prospective providers prior to actual adoption and use of the... more It has been problematic to evaluate prospective providers prior to actual adoption and use of their technologies and services. This research uses the resource-based view of the firm to identify, prioritize and relate e-provider evaluation criteria and evaluation process factors ...
Direct investments in supplier development and close relationship building are the two major coll... more Direct investments in supplier development and close relationship building are the two major collaborative supplier management strategies for developing and accessing superior supplier capability. The impact of these two strategies, however, has not been uniform across firms, calling for a deeper examination of their relative effectiveness. Utilizing multiple theoretical frameworks, this study examines the relevance and effectiveness of the two collaborative strategies across the growth and maturity stages of the product life cycle (PLC). Specifically, the study analyzes the influence of competitive intensity as an antecedent to supplier development and relational initiatives, and the role of product life cycle as a moderator of the interrelationships among competitive intensity, supplier development, relational initiatives, and supplier capability. Based on primary survey data, and discussion with practicing managers, the study finds that the individual and integrative effectiveness of supplier development investments (SDI) and relational orientation (RO) can be influenced differently by competitive intensity and PLC stage. In particular, RO can have a foundational role in motivating SDI for superior supplier capability, as also in safeguarding against supplier opportunism in the standardized product market context of the maturity stage. The managerial and theoretical implications of varied emphasis on the two collaborative supplier management strategies across the PLC stages are discussed.
Exploring flexibility and execution competencies of manufacturing firms
Journal of Operations Management, 2004
Manufacturing flexibilities improve a firm's ability to react to customer demand... more Manufacturing flexibilities improve a firm's ability to react to customer demands without incurring excessive time and cost penalties. While development of manufacturing flexibilities is desirable and indeed critical for some firms, exploiting the flexibility capabilities to ...
Stages of global sourcing strategy evolution: an exploratory study
Journal of Operations Management, 1998
... This is often achieved through engineer-to-engineer communication on design issues, in order ... more ... This is often achieved through engineer-to-engineer communication on design issues, in order to ... detailed models proposing causal relationships, we need to develop an understanding of thistypology. ... and 4)? (3) How is the mix of procurement strategies used by a firm affected ...
There has been increased interest in supplier integration in recent years, much of it supporting ... more There has been increased interest in supplier integration in recent years, much of it supporting such initiatives in organizations. We operationalize supplier integration as a bundle of practices that include a set of ''internal'' and ''external'' practices. We hypothesize that such practices in specific configurations can be as important a source of performance differentials as the adoption of individual practices themselves. We theorize the existence of a level of integration that results in optimal performance. The paper uses data from a cross-section of more than 300 US manufacturing companies to test the notion of an optimal level of supplier integration, and examine the conditions surrounding its development. The results provide empirical support for the concept of an optimal set of supplier integration practices. We show that deviations from the optimal profile are associated with performance deterioration, and that indiscriminate and continued investments in integration may not yield commensurate improvements in performance.
The role of employee safety in supply chain performance has inexplicably been overlooked by opera... more The role of employee safety in supply chain performance has inexplicably been overlooked by operations management literature. With a few notable exceptions, there is no guidance in the literature for operations managers trying to understand the role that employee safety at their own or a suppliers could play in quality outcomes. This manuscript takes a first step to rectify this oversight by using cognitive dissonance theory to build a series of propositions that link safety perceptions to quality outcomes. Empirical tests of these propositions provide initial evidence that safety does indeed contribute to quality outcomes in the supply chain.
A meta-analysis of doctoral dissertations in purchasing
Journal of Operations Management, 1997
... in research efforts (Table 3). The amount of detail available from the survey and the ... of ... more ... in research efforts (Table 3). The amount of detail available from the survey and the ... of institutions offering pure purchasing sourcing ma jors in their doctoral programs and ... of some marketing and operations programs to generate purchasing related dissertations discourage the ...
The impact of purchasing integration and practices on manufacturing performance
Journal of Operations Management, 2001
... The Industry Week survey of best practices and performance in the US manufacturing industry .... more ... The Industry Week survey of best practices and performance in the US manufacturing industry ... Carter and Narasimhan (1995) identified buyersupplier relationship development as a component of ... sourcing in their study of future trends in purchasing and supply management. ...
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Papers by Ajay Das