Scheduling problem is one of the most important factors to facilitate effective manufacturing management and operation. Fully de-centralised scheduling architecture with flexibility and robustness is required in manufacturing system. This paper studies the abilities of multi-agent paradigm with simple architecture and primitive algorithm to move appropriately in relation to several process machines. Efficient individual behaviour is obtained in simulation model. Self-organised work flow is formulated with coordinated motions between work agents against several disturbances in manufacturing system, such as machine failures and QTAT works. A collective decision making phenomenon amongst the cooperative work agents is observed in the experiments. The work agents are capable of robustness and reliability coping with the several scheduling demands.

In this paper, we identify the structure of communication systems by exploring the communicative aspects of quality management systems and discuss their implications for the construction of quality management systems that create a competitive edge. The structure of quality communication systems for quality management is characterized by the linkages of communication phases from strategy and R&D to operations on the floor, including customers and suppliers. When activities for quality management effectively reinforce each other through the linkage structure of communication systems, they contribute to quality competitiveness. The key factor in the formation of the linkage structure is commitment to quality from top management. The linkage structure of quality management communication systems is essential to the creation and maintenance of quality competitiveness.

This paper investigates a method for analyzing information flow and physical distribution flow among various related sections and organizations. Based on the idea of comparing ideal flow pattern and current flow pattern, the paper presents a concrete procedure for systematically identifying problems and improvement ideas.

The paper first proposes a tool named flow diagram, in order to visually represent flow pattern, whose vertical axis represents time and horizontal axis refers to sections and organizations relevant to information and physical flows. The flow diagram can be categorized into three types; "current level" that represents current flow pattern, "ideal level" that depicts extremely simplified pattern, and "target level" that is correspondent to practical goal of flow pattern improvement. The paper then discusses causes of gap between current level and ideal level, which are categorized into three such as "multi-stage" in which flow passes through multiple sections from start to the end, "inverse direction" in which flow goes backward between two sections, and "diversion-confluence" in which flow is once diverged and then confluenced later. These causes can be utilized as checkpoints for identifying problems.

The paper finally presents a procedure for listing problems and improvement ideas using the flow diagram and checkpoints, and an actual case of order fulfillment process of generic goods at an actual pharmaceutical company is analyzed by the proposed procedure and improvement ideas are listed and represented on a target level flow diagram.

Recently, technical innovation and globalization of markets have brought out turbulent change of environment surrounding corporations. In the latter of 1980's, strategic alliances came out as a new corporate strategy. Many scholars have pointed out the importance of complementarity in strategic alliances. In addition to it, we emphasize inter-organizational learning in strategic alliances. For the corporations forming strategic alliances are led to corporate transformations through inter-organizational learning. At first, we discuss concepts and characteristics of strategic alliances and those of inter-organizational learning. Then, we focus on interorganizational learning which plays an important role in strategic alliances and give positive considerations to the process of corporate transformation through inter-organizational learning, as for the joint R&D strategy on the semiconductor manufacturing business.

IDEF0 is expected to serve as business process analysis and modeling method. It is also useful as a method for handling software development process. However, we have been receiving few reports of IDEF0 application to actual software development. Taking scheduling systems field that is very difficult to develop and that has been developed on a trial-and-error basis as an example, this paper discusses the IDEF0-based software development process analysis. The IDEFO project has not only developers but also users and operators participate in the analysis. We describe the process characteristics of four examples of past development as AS-IS models, and also describe the process improvement policy as a TO-BE model, based on the comparison of the AS-IS models. The result of the analysis indicates the following two: (1) It is possible to discuss process characteristics and improvement policy among the three parties using the created model as a common foundation. The model creation process is effective for improving communication among the three parties. (2) It is necessary to understand considerations for the IDEF0 application from the standpoint of describability, readability, and executability to obtain the effects in (1). These points can be guidelines for applying IDEF0 to software development process analysis from now on.