"Enhancing Performance Through the Introduction of Customer Orientation into the Building Components Industry", Karvinen K and Bennett D J, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol 55, No 5, 2006. This paper describes an investigation into how company performance can be improved by integrating internal and external customers and technology. The approach was developed, implemented and evaluated in the operations of the building components industry.  The research was carried out in the precast concrete division of a Singapore company. For the purpose of undertaking the investigation an exploratory case study approach was used.  This was divided into conceptual and action research stages.  The action research was also used to implement the changes in the company.  Questionnaire surveys were carried out among company employees and external customers to assess the effect of these changes.  Results of the investigation were derived using content and statistical analysis.  Triangulation between three sources was used for validating the data. The exploratory case study strategy resulted in rich research data, which provided evidence of the changes taking place and integration happening, leading to improved performance.  The action research approach proved a powerful tool where the uncertainty of outcomes makes it near impossible to make accurate forecasts.  Another output of the research was the development of an "Integrated Customer Orientation" (ICO) model.  The research made contributions to a number of areas of production and marketing as well as productivity improvement and organisational development.  It also fulfilled the dual objectives of action research by contributing to knowledge and practice.

"Strategies for Performance Improvement in the Chinese Chemical Industry: Evidence from Case Study Investigations", Cheng J and Bennett D J, Journal of Technology Management in China, Vol 1, No 2, 2006. The Chinese chemical industry is facing fierce competition and exposure to market forces due to changes in the country's economic policy. To address the changing market dynamics the Chinese Government has applied direct administrative actions rather than simply relying on the market. It has attempted to privatise government-owned enterprises using corporatisation, coupled with industrial restructuring, by merging individual state-owned enterprises into groups.  This paper uses case studies of two Chinese chemical enterprises to explore the proposition that building competences is more effective than privatisation and restructuring to improve performance. The case research was complemented by a survey in the Chinese chemical industry, the results of which have been reported elsewhere.

"Meeting Technology Needs of Enterprises for National Competitiveness", Bennett D J and Vaidya K G, International Journal of Technology Management, Vol 32, No 1/2, 2005. This paper addresses the question of how enterprises can improve their competitiveness through the acquisition and development of technology, and hence how countries are able to raise the level of industrial development and grow their GDP.  It takes the example of East Asia to demonstrate how fast economic growth can be achieved through the "stages" approach to technology acquisition and development. It also provides some case studies of technology transfer to China as a means of illustrating how successful transfer can be achieved and the problems that can be encountered. Finally, some comparisons are made with, and among, the Arab countries and an attempt is made to draw some lessons for the development of the Arab world from experiences gained elsewhere.

"A Virtual Learning Environment for Operations Management: Assessing the student's perspective", Greasley A, Bennett D J and Greasley K,  International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Vol 24, No 10, 2004. This paper describes a project aimed at assessing the experience of a virtual learning environment (VLE) among students studying courses in Operations Management. The project was supported by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) under its Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund (TQEF). The main aim of the project was through the use of a questionnaire to establish the student experience of using a VLE through an examination of the learning and technical features which they encountered. The study also examines the approaches to learning adopted by the students, through the inclusion of a shortened version of the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) which the students were asked to complete.

"An Empirical Study of the Imperatives for a Supply Chain Implementation Project in Seagate Technology", Bay B K, Tang N K H and Bennett D J, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal,  Vol 9, No 4, 2004. Singapore's electronics manufacturers are facing many questions today. For example, in the computer hard-drive industry, where the problem of obsolescence is common and where a product's life cycle may be only six months, manufacturers are anxious to know what will be the next order winning criteria. Since low labour costs are no longer a key factor many organisations are developing their core competencies in Research and Development, Sales and Marketing, Logistics and Supply Chain Management (SCM) in order to maintain competitiveness. This paper illustrates how Seagate has envisaged a new climate of cooperation and collaboration to better serve its customers in the areas of technology, cost and delivery. The paper is based on observations and findings following a longitudinal case study approach with specific participation at the Seagate Storage Product Group (SPG) in Singapore. The seven-stage implementation framework adopted by Seagate in their SCM project will be discussed together with the process of how Seagate has created a paradigm shift towards a new culture that moves Seagate away from a functional internal environment towards a teamwork-based collaborative culture as a result of this project.

"International Technology Transfer: Perceptions and Reality of Quality and Reliability", Bennett D J and Zhao H, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, Vol 15, No 5, 2004. Impressions about product quality and reliability can depend as much on perceptions about brands and country of origin as on data regarding performance and failure. This has implications for companies in developing countries that need to compete with importers. For manufacturers in industrialised countries it has implications for the value of transferred technologies. This article considers the issue of quality and reliability when technology is transferred between countries with different levels of development. It is based on UK and Chinese company case studies and questionnaire surveys undertaken among three company groups: UK manufacturers; Chinese manufacturers; Chinese users. Results show that all three groups recognise quality and reliability as important and support the premise that foreign technology based machines made in China carry a price premium over Chinese machines based on local technology. Closer examination reveals a number of important differences concerning the perceptions and reality of quality and reliability between the groups.

"Managerial Perceptions of Factors Influencing Technology Management in South Africa", Hipkin I and Bennett D J, Technovation, Vol 23, No 9, 2003. A challenge for developing countries is to become part of the global economy. Their economic well being is dependent on their ability to attain the levels of technological development which could make them globally competitive. Infrastructural and educational problems pose immediate barriers which should be addressed as these countries embark on projects to enhance their technological base. The technology selected should be appropriate for the country's level of development and expertise. The implementation of that technology will place a new set of demands on managers and workers. This paper describes an investigation of perceptions of technology management in South Africa, a country which is developed in certain areas, but which remains desperately poor in other respects. South Africa's politics and history have always confronted managers with unique demands. The paper examines the perceptions of 132 South African managers regarding technology management by studying the relationship between the importance of different factors in managing new technology, and the extent to which a manager can control them. An importance-control grid framework is used to isolate individual parameters and to assess these in relation to the complexity of a manager's environment. The research highlights imbalances between importance and control, and suggests reasons therefor. Some broader implications for managers are also discussed.

"Agile or Adaptable? Finding a Paradigm for an Uncertain World", Bennett D J, International Journal of Agile Manufacturing, Vol 6, No 2, 2003. This paper looks at the way in which, over recent years, paradigms for manufacturing management have evolved as a result of changing economic and environmental circumstances.  The lean production concept, devised during the 1980s, proved robust only until the end of the bubble economy in Japan caused firms to re-examine the underlying principles of the lean production paradigm and redesign their production systems to suit the changing circumstances they were facing. Since that time a plethora of new concepts have emerged, most of which have been based on improving the way that firms are able to respond to the uncertainties of the new environment in which they have found themselves operating. The main question today is whether firms should be agile or adaptable. Both concepts imply a measure of responsiveness, but recent changes in the nature of the uncertainties have heightened the debate about what strategies should be adopted in the future.

"UNIDO and the World Summit on Sustainable Development: Innovative Technology Transfer Framework Linked to Trade for UNIDO Action", Bennett D J and Vaidya K G, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Vienna, Austria, 2002. This paper is an input into the UNIDO initiative on "Technology Transfer: Assessing Needs - Promoting Action" to be launched at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) where technology transfer from industrialised to developing countries is likely to emerge as an important issue. The terms of reference for the paper are to (a) summarise the current understanding on the process of technology transfer and its contribution to adaptation and innovation, (b) identify linkages between technology transfer and trade, taking account of Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs), (c) assess the UNIDO technology transfer operations in general, and (d) based on the above research, prepare a "Technology Transfer Framework Linked to Trade for UNIDO Action".

"Transfer of Technology to China: A Scandinavian and European Perspective", Bruun P and Bennett D J, European Management Journal, Vol 20, No 1, 2002. This paper examines the question of technology transfer from the perspective of techno-economic security and how companies respond to the possibility of losing competitive advantage through misappropriation or leakage. It explores transfers from Europe to China and addresses in particular the operations of Scandinavian companies within the context of the general picture for other European firms. Its point of departure is the authors' earlier research that looked at the motivations for transfer and the awareness of companies of techno-economic security issues. This has been supplemented by new data gathered by the authors from a number of Scandinavian companies in China. Specific actions have been identified and the ownership issue is introduced together with consideration of the role of the companies against the `Ferdows' model. The analysis shows that the nature of the security question has changed together with the evolving context in which the companies are operating. In turn, the response of companies is contingent on a number of factors including the time horizon of the strategy for a unit in China and thenature of the strategy. It is also influenced by the form of ownership and management style in a particular organisation.

"Impacts and Relationships Between Three Evolving Disciplines", Drejer A, Bennett D J and Sohal A, International Journal of Technology Management, Vol 23, No 1/2/3, 2002. This paper is concerned with three evolving disciplines, namely Management of Technology (MoT), Operations Management (OM) and Supply Chain Management (SCM). These three disciplines have emerged at different times, SCM being the most recent, although they also seem to be concerned, at least in some part, with the same managerial problem areas. Based on this underlying assumption, the paper lays the ground for this special issue of the International Journal of Technology Management, which is devised to provide a platform for discussion concerning the impacts, relationships and possible synergies between the three disciplines that very much seem to be driving the attention of a lot of recent management thinking.

"International Technology Transfer and Collaborative New Product Development: Evidence and a Case from the Machine Tool Industry", Bennett D J, Vaidya K G, Zhao H and Brittan S, International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation, Vol. 1, No. 1/2, 2001. In recent years it has become increasingly common for companies to improve their competitiveness and find new markets by extending their operations through international new product development collaborations involving technology transfer. Technology development, cost reduction and market penetration are seen as the foci in such collaborative operations with the aim being to improve the competitive position of both partners. In this paper the case of technology transfer through collaborative new product development in the machine tool sector is used to provide a typical example of such partnerships. The paper outlines the links between the operational aspects of collaborations and their strategic objectives.  It is based on empirical data collected from the machine tool industries in the UK and China. The evidence includes longitudinal case studies and questionnaire surveys of machine tool manufacturers in both countries.  The specific case of BSA Tools Ltd and its Chinese partner the Changcheng Machine Tool Works is used to provide an in depth example of the operational development of a successful collaboration.  The paper concludes that a phased co-ordination of commercial, technical and strategic interactions between the two partners is essential for such collaborations to work.

"Benchmarking for Information Systems Management Using Issues Framework Studies: Content and Methodology", Shi N S and Bennett D J, Benchmarking: An International Journal, Vol 8, No 5, 2001. As a means of benchmarking their position and assisting with anticipating an uncertain future, the identification of critical information systems (IS) management issues frameworks is becoming an increasingly important research task for both academics and industrialists. This paper provides a description and summary of previous work on identifying IS issues frameworks by reviewing twenty research investigations in terms of what they studied and how they were conducted. It also suggests some possible directions and methodologies for future research. The summary and suggestions for further work are applicable for issues framework research in the IS management field as well as in other business and management areas.

"Technology Transfer to China: A Study of Strategy in 20 EU Industrial Companies", Bennett D J, Liu X, Parker D, Steward F and Vaidya K G, International Journal of Technology Management, Vol. 21, No. 1/2, 2001. Foreign direct investment has been important in China's economic development since the early 1980s. In recent years the volume of inward FDI into China, according to some estimates, has been second only to that into the United States. The Chinese government has emphasised the need for FDI to be coupled with the transfer of more advanced technologies to China. For foreign companies technology transfer raises the risk of losing their technology based competitive advantage to potential competitor firms. This risk may be exacerbated by insufficient legal protection of intellectual property rights in China. After briefly reviewing the development of Chinese official policy on technology transfer, this paper considers the strategy adopted by EU companies regarding the transfer of technology; in particular in advanced technology sectors. The research on which the paper is based included an analysis of information gathered from 20 leading EU companies with investments in China and operating in high-technology sectors. Information was gathered from senior company managers based in both China and Europe during the second half of 1998. The main findings include a measure of reluctance on the part of EU companies to transfer their core technologies to China and to base R and D capability there. At the same time, the companies appear aware that this policy may be unsustainable in the longer-term in the face of Chinese official policy and a desire to expand their operations in China. While they attempt to protect their existing technological knowledge, most of them accept that there will be technology 'leakage' and therefore the most effective strategy is to maintain their technological lead through R and D.

"Information Systems Management Positions - A Market Perspective", Shi N S and Bennett D J, Work Study, Vol. 49, No. 7, 2000. Information systems (IS) managers have become key senior executives for organising the IT resources for delivering support to businesses. Understanding characteristics of IS managers' employment positions is hence an increasingly important topic in computer personnel research. An investigation in Singapore that included a job advertisement analysis, surveys and case studies was thus conducted to investigate such aspects. This article presents the findings of the job advertisement analysis concerning what kinds of IS managers the market is seeking and what are the basic conditions for such management positions. The literature in this area asserts that job advertisements represent firms' wishes and the nature of the conditions required of different IS personnel. The results of this analysis therefore reflect a collective market perspective about the changing IS managerial workplace. The results of the analysis benefit both firms and IS employees in formulating personnel development plans and actions, and raise issues for further research.

"Technological and Organisational Change in Small Manufacturing Companies: A Learning Organisation Perspective", Oakes I, Lee G L and Bennett D J,  International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Vol. 20, No. 5, 2000. This paper focuses on the experiences of three UK automotive component suppliers, which are all experiencing pressures for change driven by the major vehicle manufacturers.  The main changes are concerned with tiering of the supply chain and substantial delegation of responsibilities down the supply chain including an increasing emphasis on innovation and continuous improvement.  The pilot study presented in the paper is part of a research project into the impact of changes in supply chain relationships on the operation of small manufacturing firms in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom.  The companies are responding to change by becoming more innovative and are exhibiting many of the attributes of the theoretical 'Learning Organisation'. The paper provides an insight into the ways in which some of the common characteristics of a Learning Organisation have been adopted by the case companies and discusses the extent to which the Learning Organisation experience has enabled the companies to facilitate technological and organisational change in their quest for enhanced competitiveness.

"Valuing Transferred Machine Tool Technology: Relating Value to Product Attributes and Preferences of Acquirers", Bennett D J, Vaidya K G and Zhao H, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Vol 19, Nos 5/6, 1999. The value of technology and the appropriate form of transfer arrangement are important questions to be resolved when transferring technology between Western manufacturing firms and partners in industrialising and developing countries. This article reports on surveys carried out in the machine tool industries in the UK and China to establish the differences and similarities between owners and acquirers of technology regarding the relative importance of the factors they evaluate, and the assessments they make, when considering a technology transfer. It also outlines the development of a framework for technology valuation. The survey results indicate that the value of product technology is related to superior technical performance, especially on reliability and functionality, and the prospects of premium prices and increased sales of the technology transfer based machine tools. Access to markets is the main objective of UK companies, while Chinese companies are concerned about improving their technological capability. There are significant risks, especially related to performance in the market, and while owners and acquirers have benefited in the short term, the long term collaboration required for strategic benefits has been difficult to achieve because of the different priorities of the owners and the acquirers.

"Agility, Adaptability and Leanness: A Comparison of Concepts and a Study of Practice", Katayama H and Bennett D J, International Journal of Production Economics, Vol 60/61, 1999. This paper deals with three concepts of concern to manufacturing management; agile manufacturing, adaptable production and lean production. These concepts are described and compared within the context of the modern competitive situation in Japan. A survey of Japanese firms is described where the concepts are explored through a number of questions concerned with strategy, action programmes and performance measures. Many companies have responded to the change in economic conditions through a modification of their production operations and by changing their cost structure. The results suggest that companies are trying to realise their cost adaptability through agility enhancement activities.

"China and European Economic Security: Study on Medium to Long Term Impact of Technology Transfer to China", Bennett D J, Liu X, Parker D , Steward F and Vaidya K,  Report prepared for European Commission Directorate General I, July 1999. The central objective of this study was to assess the potential impact on EU competitiveness, over the medium to long term, of the transfer of European advanced technology (including R&D capacity) to China. In the study, technology transfer has been defined as the acquisition and application of foreign technology by Chinese enterprises and institutes in any of the following forms: (a) technical ideas, information or data (b) personal technical skills and expertise and (c) equipment, prototypes, designs and computer codes. The study included the following main components: (a) an appraisal of China’s policy to upgrade its technology and analysis of available data on technology transfer transactions; (b) analysis of available statistical evidence to assess the shift of Chinese industry towards high technology sectors; (c) examination of technology collaboration development and experiences of European businesses and Chinese enterprises and institutes, and (d) a strategic appraisal of the central question, the medium to long term implications of the transfer of advanced technology to China. 

"Critical Success Factors for IS Executive Careers: Evidence from Case Studies", Shi N S and Bennett D J, Computer Personnel, Vol 19, No 3., 1998. This article qualitatively analyzes the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for Information Systems (IS) executive careers based on  evidence gathered from five case studies carried out in 1997. Typical IS executive career  paths are presented within a time series style and the CSFs are interpreted within a  descriptive framework by synthesising the case data based on Social Cognitive Theory. The  descriptive framework suggests that successful IS executive careers would most likely be  achieved by well educated and experienced IS employees who have the right attitude  towards both their career and work, together with good performance. They would also exhibit an ability for self-learning and to anticipate future IT uses, as well as having proficient IS management knowledge and skills while working with an appropriate  organizational environment. Moreover, the framework systematically indicates the  interactions between the coupling factors in the typical career development processes. This  provides a benchmark for employees that are aiming at a senior IS executive career against  which they can compare their own achievements and aspirations. It also raises propositions for further research on theory building.

"Requisite IS Knowledge and Skills Construct: A Survey", Shi N S and Bennett D J, Computer Personnel, Vol 19, No 1, 1998. A review of the literature suggests that various IS knowledge and skills should be grouped into a construct because many IS tasks require a combination of diverse disciplines. Many studies argue that today's IS executives should be multidisciplinary, while the organizational skills are becoming increasingly important. However, the  outstanding issue is what is the appropriate balance of disciplines between the organizational domain and technical domain. For understanding such a balance, it is easier to refer to quantitative proportions than to qualitative descriptions. Therefore, this study suggests a way to quantitatively identify a management knowledge and skills construct - a combination that comprises six related knowledge and skills categories suggested by the  literature. By analyzing the data obtained in a 1996s survey, two such constructs for current  proficiency and expected level have been quantitatively identified. To people aiming at a senior IS executive career, the deficiencies between current and expected constructs  suggest not only the direction but also the extent should be enhanced, and the constructs  indicate the balance among various disciplines should be maintained.

"Transferring Manufacturing Technology to China: Supplier Perceptions and Acquirer Expectations", Bennett D J, Zhao H, Vaidya K G and Wang X M, Integrated Manufacturing Systems - The International Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, Vol 8, No 5, 1997. Results of complementary surveys of foreign and Chinese manufacturing enterprises with respect to their objectives and expectations regarding technology transfer into China show that the major strategic objective of foreign enterprises, to gain access to the Chinese market, fits well with Chinese enterprises’ main objective of improving domestic competitiveness but less well with that of accessing world markets through technology transfer. Foreign firms rate highly the capability of Chinese enterprises to learn new technologies and also find the Chinese macro environment for business favourable. The survey results provide information that will help managers with their negotiations on co-operating with prospective partners for the transfer of technology as well as assisting policy makers who wish to facilitate more effective transfer arrangements. 

"Perceptions on the Transfer of Technology to China: A Survey of British Companies", Zhao H, Bennett D J, Vaidya K G and Wang X M, Technology Management: Strategies and Applications, Vol 3, No 3, 1997. Evidence from a survey shows that British engineering companies with a business interest in China recognise the potential benefits from technology transfer to China. The major strategic objective in transferring technology to China is to gain access to the Chinese market. British firms have a high opinion of the capability of Chinese enterprises to learn to use new technologies but they give a low rating to their managerial and technological capabilities and quality of existing equipment. Foreign companies appear to have a cautiously favourable view of the economic and political environment but the legal framework for doing business, time consuming negotiations, inconvenience of communications, bureaucracy, and unclear organizational authority are identified as the most difficult problems. 

"Technology Transfer and Chinese Government Policy: Opportunities and Implications for Business", Bennett D J, Vaidya K G, Wang X M and Zhu F, Technology Management: Strategies and Applications, Vol 3, No 2, 1997. State-owned enterprises in China have been given greater autonomy and responsibility, have freer access to foreign technology, and are being encouraged to form groups to gain from rationalization and integration. This article uses case studies to identify the key strategic issues that affect the commercial viability of foreign technology acquisition by state-owned enterprises within the context of enterprise reforms. All the case study enterprises used technology transfer to develop new or improved products. Technologies acquired as parts of subcontracting arrangements and well-established technologies to produce end-use products are easier to manage and operate profitably. However, the latter type of technology has been imported by numerous enterprises and has led to fierce competition and industy restructuring. Importing capital-intensive and complex technology to produce major components for products, such as cars, is more difficult and requires closer coordination with customers and suppliers.

"Technology Transfer to the China Machine Tool Industry: The Need for a Technology Valuation Model", Bennett D J, Vaidya K G, Zhao H and Wang X M, Industry and Higher Education, Vol 11, No 1, 1997. Due to its fast growth China is rapidly becoming a focus for globalized manufacturing strategies and is now one of the world's largest markets for technology. The international transfer of manufacturing technology has also contributed significantly to the recent sharp increase in the rate of China's industrial development. The Chinese machine tool industry, for example, has exhibited an annual growth of more than 12% between 1980 and 1995 and is now one of the largest markets for machine tool technology. Technology transfer agreements are not motivated only by the willingness of foreign suppliers but also by the desire of Chinese enterprises to acquire technology. One of the major problems in technology transfer is how to establish the value of the technology. In many cases partnerships between foreign companies and Chinese enterprises fail to become established because the value of technology cannot be agreed by both sides. It is therefore important to establish a method for valuing transferred technology. This paper outlines the concept of a technology valuation model which is being developed using empirical data from the machine tool industry. It is based on research carried out in the UK and China, and draws on selected case studies of technology transfer in the machine tool sector supplemented by information obtained from questionnaire surveys carried out in both countries.

"Reliability Management of Machine Tool Technology: A Case Study of Current Practice", Ahmed J and Bennett D J, International Journal of Materials and Product Technology, Vol 11, No 5/6, 1996. Considerable attention has been given in the literature to identifying and describing the effective elements which positively affect the improvement of product reliability. These have been perceived by many as the 'state of the art' in the manufacturing industry. The applicability, diffusion and effectiveness of such methods and philosophies, as a means of systematically improving the reliability of a product, come in the main from case studies and single and infra-industry empirical studies. These studies have both been carried out within the wider context of quality assurance and management, and taking reliability as a discipline in its own right. However, it is somewhat of a surprise that there are no recently published findings or research studies on the adoption of these methods by the machine tool industry. This may lead one to construct several hypothesised paradigms: (a) that machine tool manufacturers compared to other industries, are slow to respond to propositions given in the literature by theorists or (b) this may indicate that a large proportion of the manufacturers make little use of the reliability improvement techniques as described in the literature, with the overall perception that they will not lead to any significant improvements? On the other hand, it is evident that hypothetical verification of the operational and engineering methods of reliability achievement and improvement adopted in the machine tool industry is less widely researched. Therefore, research into this area is needed in order to explore the 'state of the art' practice in the machine tool industry. This is in terms of the status, structure and activities of the operation of the reliability function. This paper outlines a research programme being conducted with the co-operation of a leading machine tool manufacturer, whose UK manufacturing plant produces in the main Vertical Machining Centres (VMC's) and is continuously undergoing incremental transitions in product reliability improvement.

"Modelling and Benchmarking Business Processes: The Supply Line Example", Hewitt F, Robinson S L and Bennett D J, Benchmarking for Quality Management and Technology, Vol 3, No 2, 1996. Early benchmarking efforts in the areas of distribution and warehousing were focused on discrete, easily measured task components, such as cubic capacity utilization of warehouses and the cost of the movement of goods per tonne/kilometre of cargo. However, as discrete departmental activities were replaced by integrated logistics practices, also known as supply chain management, the established cost comparison approach to benchmarking was supplemented or replaced by a focus on service level comparisons. The focus can be said to have changed from lowest cost as benchmark to best value for money as benchmark. Even more recently, with the emergence of continuous supply-line process management, the focus of benchmarking activities has moved on again. Process efficiency, effectiveness and reliability are now seen as the keys to competitiveness and it therefore follows that supply-line process performance should be the comparator in benchmarking exercises. In an attempt to achieve world-class levels of supply-line management, the most advanced companies now see process improvement as the key. A combination of process-related output measures such as customer satisfaction results and in-process measures such as schedule flexibility are therefore emerging as the likely foci for future benchmarking activity in logistics. Interestingly, these process metrics are identical in nature to the input factors used in modelling exercises. By combining benchmarking and modelling the possibility is therefore emerging of creating a “theoretical benchmark” of performance beyond the level of even the best current practitioners. In theory, even the best companies can use this approach to identify avenues for further improvement, and there is no reason to believe that this approach cannot apply to other business processes beyond supply-line management. In effect, modelling, business process analysis and benchmarking may all be merging into a single, highly powerful tool set, capable of yielding significant performance improvement across a wide range of business activities.

"Lean Production in a Changing Competitive World: A Japanese Perspective" Katayama H and Bennett D J, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Vol 16, No 2, 1996. Since its publication in 1990, the book The Machine that Changed the World, with its advocacy of “lean production”, has dominated much of the theory and practice of production systems design. So well known and compelling have the principles and demonstrated benefits of lean production become that there are now very few countries and industries where its influence, along with its associated methodologies such as just-in-time (JIT), total quality management (TQM) and total productive maintenance (TPM) have not been felt. However, the strength of this influence, along with, that of other related philosophies such as world-class manufacturing, has meant that the rules of competition have themselves been changing. In many respects the resultant change in thinking about the way in which industrial production should be organized can be compared with the change brought about by the automobile, or the “machine” referred to by Womack and his colleagues in the title of their book. The purpose of this article is to examine the role and significance of lean production within the context of the current industrial and economic environment in Japan. It explores the contemporary pressures on Japanese companies and considers how they are demanding a response to the new conditions which are emerging as a result of the continuously changing economic, competitive and industrial situation. For its empirical evidence, it draws on the recent experiences of four Japanese manufacturing plants. The first is the final assembly plant of a major automobile manufacturer, in the industry acknowledged for its pioneering role in developing lean production, the second is an electronics plant of a telecommunications equipment company, the third is a plant manufacturing refrigerators and the fourth makes domestic air conditioners. The case studies illustrate that Japanese companies can no longer rely on concepts developed during the 1980s. In order to remain competitive they must adapt to developments in the market and a changing industrial relations climate. Moreover, there is the paradox that Japanese companies’ overseas operations are reducing the opportunities for their own domestic plants to rely on exports as their means of achieving large production volumes.

"How Much is Technology Worth?" Bennett D J and Vaidya K G, Technology Strategies, No 125, July/August, 1996. With greater globalization of manufacturing, the transfer of technology across national boundaries has become more common and the forms of technology transfer more complex. Increasingly the "trade channel", where technology is transferred through sale or licence, is being superseded by the "investment channel ", where transfer is facilitated through joint ventures, technology collaborations and co-production agreements. The complexity of such arrangements prompts the question of how much technology is worth when it is transferred between suppliers and acquirers. Our research on the transfer of machine tool technology to China has highlighted this problem. Many UK machine tool manufacturers think Chinese enterprises try to negotiate low prices without appreciating the value of technology to be transferred. On the other hand, interviews with Chinese machine tool enterprises have revealed that foreign technology suppliers are often thought to over-value their technology by underestimating the existence of competing technologies and the capability of Chinese enterprises to acquire and develop technology from alternative sources.

"Technology Transfer Under China's Economic Reforms: Business Environment and Success Factors", Zhu F, Wang X M, Bennett D J and Vaidya K G, Technology Management, Vol 2, No 1, 1995. The opening up of the Chinese economy and the associated transfer of technology from abroad have been taking place at an accelerating pace. Technology is crucial to China's industrial development. It is a productive resource and has a vital role in the process of economic and social development. This article provides an overview of technology transfer into China, focusing on recent developments, and examines the macroenvironmental and microenvironmental influences which foreign enterprises must consider when making investments or technology transfer decisions. Cases of companies engaged in international technology transfer are used to illustrate the discussion on the microenvironment. To be successful, foreign investors and suppliers of technology must respond to China's industrial priorities and pursue projects that are compatible with the country's broad policy goals as well as the corporate objectives of Chinese partners. The article concludes by listing a number of points to which attention should be paid before a decision is made to transfer technology to China.