RESEARCH BRIEF: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Wood Products Industry

by Melissa Brenes-Bastos, mbrenes@vt.edu

Demers (2009) defined Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as “a system designed to input, store, edit, retrieved, analyze, and output geographic data and information”. As all systems GIS is composed of integrated parts that allow it to perform correctly, these parts include: (1) computer hardware and software, (2) space and organization, (3) personnel and (4) data and information. (Demers, 2009)

www.headsonfire.org
www.headsonfire.org

Over 25 hundred years of geographic research and investigation, result on geographic information systems evolution, the first stages of GIS were focusing on exploration unknown lands, their inhabitants and phenomena’s, in other words the primary focus was discovering. (Demers, 2009) It was explain by Demers (2009) that the need of explain phenomena’s lead researcher to create an outcome of pattern explanations for different distributions, in the early 1960’s the Department of Forestry and Rural Development of Canada pursue a project to manage the territory of Canada, this was the first big scale project. With this project the first operational system ever built was created – Canada Geographic Information Systems-, this creation lead to more research and exploring which conduce to the actual GIS, as we know now a days. (Demers, 2009)

Continue reading “RESEARCH BRIEF: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Wood Products Industry”

Students and faculty from Virginia Tech and Purdue University travel to Costa Rica

Assistant professor Henry Quesada from Virginia Tech and associate professor Eva Haviarova from Purdue University joined efforts to organize a student field trip to Costa Rica and to collaborate with the Costa Rican Forestry Office in delivering educational activities during the Spring break.

Figure 1. Students listen to biologists Jose Rojas and Oliver Castro from Costa Rica Tech during their lecture on the importance of tropical forest.
Figure 1. Students listen to biologists Jose Rojas and Oliver Castro from Costa Rica Tech during their lecture on the importance of tropical forest.

Students from both institutions signed for the course Global Issues in Sustainability. This 3 credit-hour class has as a goal to study issues impacting the sustainability of natural resources such as the forest, water, and wild life in a global context. The course includes a one-week field trip to Costa Rica where students participate in a series of experiential learning activities to understand and gain knowledge on how private businesses, government institutions and local universities work together to promote and educate current and future generations in the sustainable use of natural resources.

Continue reading “Students and faculty from Virginia Tech and Purdue University travel to Costa Rica”

RESEARCH BRIEF: Determinants of Exports Performance

by Edgar Arias, earias@vt.edu

exports performance models
Figure 1. Synthesis of performance models (Sousa 2006)

International marketing encompasses the disciplines focused on the trade of goods and services across global boundaries (CharlesDoyle, 2011).  Studying the determinants of exports performance has been one of the major priorities in the field since the 1970s.  However, despite of the tremendous attention devoted by researchers, a comprehensive theory that explains export performance is yet to be developed.  Some consider that knowledge on this field is fragmented, diverse and sometimes even inconsistent, which makes export performance one of the most contentious fields in international marketing (Katsikeas, Leonidou, & Morgan, 2000).  The globalization of businesses, and the importance of exports for industries such as the Hardwood Industry, justify and incentive additional research in pursue of a better understanding of the factors that determine the success of export ventures (Parhizkar, Miller, & Smith, 2010).

Continue reading “RESEARCH BRIEF: Determinants of Exports Performance”

RESEARCH BRIEF: Strategic Marketing Planning in Wood Products Industry

by Melissa Brenes-Bastos, mbrenes@vt.edu

Since 1960s, there had been a lot of terms to describe Strategic Planning, such as, comprehensive corporate planning, comprehensive managerial planning, comprehensive integrated planning, corporate planning, formal strategic planning and other combinations.  According to Steiner (1997) formal strategic planning has to be defined from four points of view:

  • Futurity of current decisions:  it means to look at cause and effect consequences of an actual or future decision that the manager is going to make, in other words if the manager do not like the consequences ahead the decision those can se change.  (Steiner, 1997)

marketing strategy

  • Process: Steiner 1997, mentions that it begins with setting organizations aims, define strategies, policies to accomplish them and detail plans to implement the strategy correctly, in more cases the plans are set for a certain amount of time, not to change every day, but it has to be appropriate for unexpected changes and actions.
  • Philosophy: this point refers to an attitude, a life stile, it refers that the organization have to believes in the strategic plan, the manager and coworkers need to believe that is worth doing and must want to do the strategic planning in the company. (Steiner, 1997)
  • Structure: the last but not least point Steiner 1997 mention is referring to integrate strategic plans, medium-rage programs and short-rage budgets and operating plans, it is focus in the linkages of those plans into a management strategies that will translate to current decisions.

Pophal 2009 describe a step by step approach to developing a strategic marketing plan which will include terms such as: (1) Situation analysis ‘compound with Industry analysis, Market analysis and Competitive analysis’, (2) SWOT analysis, (3) Quantifiable objectives/goals, (4) Strategies and tactics to meet objectives/goals, (5) Responsibility/ accountability, (6) Develop a budget and (7) Ongoing monitoring and adjustment.

Continue reading “RESEARCH BRIEF: Strategic Marketing Planning in Wood Products Industry”

Using an A3 to Implement Lean and Energy Saving Recommendations

by Shawn Crawford, M.F.
shawn88@vt.edu 

Energy savings as a result of lean implementation is significantly overlooked (EPA 2007).  By eliminating non-valued added activities lean production processes are missing important opportunities to improve performance and reduce costs. The Lean Energy Tool Kit ( EPA 2007) suggests a number of methods for assessing lean opportunities and reducing energy use with lean methods. An A3 will be used to format the assessment of the lean opportunities and reduce energy use by implementing lean principles.

An A3 is a common tool used in lean manufacturing to solve process problems and implement solutions (Sobek and Smalley 2008). A3s are commonly used by the Toyota Production System (TPS) to implement improvements on the process (Sobek and Smalley 2008).  TPS uses A3’s to solve problems, resulting in effective planning, decision-making, and execution (Shook 2008).  An A3 helps a company identify, frame, and then act on a problem. The following is the format for a basic A3 provided by Sobek and Smalley (2008):

Continue reading “Using an A3 to Implement Lean and Energy Saving Recommendations”