Supply Chain Management Journal 2011, Volume 2, Number 2

A nonprofit organization is an organization that conducts business for the benefit of general public without shareholders and without a profit motive. Their area includes guvernamental organizations (education, health and culture agencies) and nonguvernamental organizations found in the forms of: clubs, societies, associations, foundations and others. The nonprofit organizations have supply chains that need to be monitored and their performance measured, especially because this type of organization handles public money. For supply chain to work in a nonprofit organization, it is important to tie its competencies and roles to the common terminology already used within the organization (for example: procurement, purchasing, forecasting, logistic and distribution).
Supply chain management and other similar terms such as network sourcing, value chain management and value stream management have become subjects of increasing interest in recent years. Also, supply chain performance measurement achieved one of the most important places in the supply chain management studies and researches.
Applicable in nonprofit organizations, business performance measurement systems and control systems are the formal, information-based routines and procedures used to mantain or alter patterns in organizational activities.

nonprofit organization, supply chain, performance measurement, alliance, Balanced Scorecard.

December 2011, pp 1 – 13

The new revolution within the Internet is on delivering information to systems (not only information to people). In this context, Web services are the methods with which businesses will drive system-to-system communication. By using a common language (XML) and a common transport protocol (HTTP), Web services act as a broker between two endpoints that wish to communicate. This communication must be secure; thus, an important focus is on Web services security.
The distribution of goods both on land and in air between two points (source-destination), is a complex process based on the use of intelligent systems for sorting, planning, distribution models using different transport goods, services and links. Route
tracking and tracing systems are also used as a route monitoring systems. These systems have the following components: computers, servers, readers, label (tag reader), GPS (Global Positions System). Information obtained by reading the label code (wagon, container) is transmitted to the mobile central station (MMS), then the public network (Internet) access to information server (IAS) by XML interface and tracking and tracing the route server (TTS). System is connected to the network management system to achieve transport and transactions, ordering and route planning. Different users have access to
information using mobile phones, PDA’s or personal computers.
Research on user interfaces and database management has been proceeding almost independently. Only recently have visualization tools have integrated with database management systems. For multimedia database management, a variety of interfaces have to be provided. These include interfaces for communicating with video, audio, and text databases. In addition, interfaces to support SQL extensions for multimedia data as well as Object Database Management Group (ODMG) standards are needed. Similar issues need to be dealt with for SS-databases and XML document databases.

Web Services, web services security, XML, Object Database Management Group, database SQL, intelligent transport systems (ITS).

December 2011, pp 14 – 22

Implementation of sustainable packaging programs, has become a concern for the academic world and also for business men. Having the SPC Indicators and Metrics work as a starting point, 52 indicators were identified, covering the environmental, economical and social pillars of sustainability. This paper aims to examine these indicators in SC Nature S.A. milk processing company.

GPP Indicators, packaging sustenaibility programs, Life Cycle Indicators, Environmental Impact.

December 2011, pp 23 – 30

This paper focuses on the advantages and possibilities of Just-in-Time implementation process into the Romanian small companies. JIT is a modern production system that shows its benefits for large companies with complex manufacturing process. If at the beginning this process did not been attractive for SMEs, due to mangers’ and entrepreneurs’ attitudes and ideas, in time, some of them adapted JIT to their context with surprising results.
The flexibility and interactive communication process of SMEs, constituted some advantages for implementation of JIT system. The paper also presents some steps and ways for implementation of JIT in small companies.

Just-in-Time, small companies, implementation model.

December 2011, pp 31 – 35

Category definition: A distinct group of products and services which consumers perceive as being related and/or who are replaceable in satisfying a certain need of the consumer. Determining the products that substitute the category and category
segmentation from the consumer perspective.
Category management process is composed by a series of structured and measurable activities regarding the production of a well defined result for commercial partners and their clients.
Category management process defines a specific approach of obligations in time and space and has a beginning, an ending also data and results clearly defined.
Category role: a role is established for the category based on a comparison of the category regarding the consumer, the market and the retailer information.
Category evaluation: subcategories, segments analysis is effectuated by reviewing the consumer, the market, the retailer and supplier information. Performance indicators: to establish the measure and the target of performance.
Category strategies: to develop the marketing and supply strategies.
Category techniques: to determine the optimal assortment, the price, the shelf presentation and promotional techniques.
Plan implementation: to implement a category plan with a specific responsibilities list.
Non carbonated drinks represent by far one of the most sophisticated, colored and flavored market in soft drinks category.
The differentiation based on juice concentration means that, for 100% juice, there is only squeezed fruits without any addition, for nectar, juice concentration between 25% and 99%, the rest until 100% meaning syrup, and for still drinks juice concentration is 25% the most (in our country the biggest concentration is 12%).

consumer goods, ECR (Efficient Consumer Response), category management, category, category management process, category role, category evaluation, performance indicators, category strategies, category techniques, plan implementation, destination, convenience, seasonality, promotion, the assortment, trademark.

December 2011, pp 36 – 53

The information regarding road conditions and traffic, availability of parking spaces, etc. are distributed by public authorities in order to improve transportation efficiency, safety and environmental quality. Because data accuracy regarding position frequently depends how often the data is transmitted from the vehicle to the dispatch center and because there are a limited number of radio frequencies available in many urban areas, many transportation organizations have chosen as a strategy of transmission data reporting on important moments.
In this case, each vehicle reports its position to dispatch center exclusively in fixed points or when the vehicle has exceeded the limit of timetable imposed set. The reporting system requires that each vehicle to know its position at a time, and planned position, in which would have to be, at that time. The most used transmission methods of buses position are “polling” and data reporting through wireless communication in exceptional cases.
Despite the substantial benefits on which brings the use of AVL technology, only a very small number of transport companies use up huge amount of information that this system is recording. By implementing techniques that use a significantly higher amount of data, the transport companies should improve their performance in terms of developing a better work schedule (timetable), efficiency of services and ability to interact with customers.

RDS/TMC – Radio Data System/Traffic Message Channel, wireless communications, AVL (Automatic Vehicle Location) technology.

December 2011, pp 54 – 62

Driven by the fearful competition on the marketplace, organizations are giving more attention to the value concept. Most of the purchasing researchers see purchasing as a strategic contributor to the added value of the organizations. Value based purchasing focuses the decisions of purchasing professionals on the creation of value in the supply chain, rather than on the traditional objectives of cost savings and efficiency.
E-procurement has made substantial technological advantages over the past few years and is expected to continue improving efficiency and productivity in the supply chain in the future. This paper tries to identify the traditional and strategic concepts of values added by E-procurement and the factors affecting value added in the supply chain.
Furthermore the paper presents a conceptual model of factors affecting value added by the E-procurement. We tested this conceptual model in three organizations from Maramures county and we presented the empirical findings. The article ends with the conclusions and recommendations for further research.

e-procurement, value added, supply chain management, purchasing management.

December 2011, pp 63 – 71

Distribution of goods requires identifying the best methods of design and management of the transport networks for goods delivery. The complexity in goods transport modelling derives from the great number of the elements implied and the
conditions imposed on by the physical networks. From a mathematical point of view, the models in goods transport include both determinist models based on network flow problems, as well as probabilistic models such as simulation models, based on knowing the decisional tree and waiting problems. Goods distribution within the urban space determines additional traffic flow with negative effects on the urban traffic (traffic congestions, time delivery extension), thus finding solutions for an optimal goods distribution is required.
The way of distributing the goods from the producer directly to the clients without considering the intermediate centres from the physical network is presented in the paper.

goods distribution, Hamiltonian road, Latin multiplication method

December 2011, pp 72 – 83