(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2016-04-04)
Hatcher, Michael B.
Supplier diversity refers to the practice of creating opportunities for historically underutilized populations in the workforce and business arena. Supplier diversity encompasses initiatives specifically designed to increase the number of enterprises owned by people from ethnic minority groups who supply public, private, and/or voluntary sector organizations with goods and services (Ram & Smallbone, 2003). Supplier diversity initiatives were once driven solely by governmental policies focused on ethnic minorities. Also, minority vendor purchasing programs were designed to increase the volume of goods and services purchased by corporations from minority-owned businesses (Giunipero, 1981). Guided by the existing literature related to supplier diversity, this qualitative phenomenological study investigated the current state of Supplier Diversity Development Programs (SDDP) from the diverse supplier perspective. Primarily this research illuminated the (1) lived experiences of DSE Supplier Diversity Development Program participants (2) investigated the extent to which SDDPs eliminate or mitigate barriers/impediments to diverse suppliers previously identified in academic literature, and (3) evaluated the impact of SDDP participation on DSE business capacity development. This study explored and evaluated Supplier Diversity Development Programs to serve as a guide for (a) public and private POs in the facility management industry that currently utilize some supplier diversity development programs and (b) organizations seeking to implement SDDPs in the future. This research identified and posited a series of recommendations for the improvement of existing programs and the creation of new Supplier Diversity Development Programs. This research found that a Supplier Diversity Development Program that aligns program expectation with program delivery will result in greater levels of positive program participation outcomes. In addition this research study found SDDP mitigates DSE barriers/impediments and impacts DSE business capacity development, by way of building relationships, administering education, raising awareness, and creating platforms for access and engagement.
(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2015-04-02)
Sedehi, Arya
Today’s fast-paced global economy has intensified the demand for manufacturing companies to make their products more quickly and with higher quality to meet heightened consumer expectations while reducing costs. This competitive environment requires small to medium enterprise’s (SMEs) to implement well-designed business processes and leverage information technology (IT), such as an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, within their facilities to become more agile, flexible, and integrated to meet changing market demands. Issues emerge when facility managers lack reliable data on performance and costs, which subsequently impairs even basic decisions for resource allocation or process improvement. Although the benefits of a successful ERP implementation in large firms are recognized, there is a general lack of empirical IT productivity literature focusing on SMEs.
This research is expected to contribute to a framework for performance measurement, providing facility decision-makers with important metrics for analyzing their firm’s ability to improve upon competitive priorities. Employing the Delphi process, key performance indicators (KPIs) including time, speed, quality, and cost, and corresponding performance measurement metrics, investigations are conducted between traditional manufacturing processes in SMEs and processes enhanced through ERP adoption. In this longitudinal case study, significant improvements are observed in production operations relative to time following ERP implementation including a reduction in the defect rate, total manufacturing cost, and scrap rate along with increases in on-time delivery and flexibility.