An empirical investigation into supply chain vulnerability

A growing number of academicians and practitioners have put supply chain risks on their agendas, particularly triggered by a recent series of catastrophic events that have disrupted economies and supply chains around the globe. Given the increasing awareness of this important topic, the purpose of this research was to study supply chain risks in more detail and to investigate the relationship between supply chain vulnerability and supply chain risk. Responses from 760 executives from firms operating in Germany reveal that supply chain characteristics such as a firm's dependence on certain customers and suppliers, the degree of single sourcing, or reliance on global supply sources are relevant for a firm's exposure to supply chain risk. Overall, this research represents the first large-scale investigation of this important relationship and provides a finer understanding of the antecedents of supply chain vulnerability.     

Supply chain finance: Historical foundations,current research,future developments

It is widely agreed that supply chains encompass and integrate material, information, and financial flows across organizations. There is a robust history and continually expanding research agenda investigating supply chain management practice and theory associated with material and information flows and processes. However, the management of financial flows from a supply chain perspective and in combination with the other flows, usually referred to as supply chain finance (SCF), has been under-investigated. Our understanding of SCF approaches and solutions in purchasing and supply management (PSM) is only starting to form. The purpose of this editorial is to provide some grounding of initial studies and concepts of SCF, illustrate new and emerging thought in this discourse with articles published in this special issue, and speculate how the SCF domain may evolve in theory and practice with the advent of new digital technologies and big data analytics.     

Supply chain risk management in India – practical insights

This paper reviews the supply chain risk management (SCRM) literature to identify as well as to discuss and elaborate on the impact and origin of major supply chain risk factors in an Indian context. Through a combination of existing literature and a survey instrument, we identify major SCRM issues including underlying supply chain risks and thereafter identify gaps, issues and opportunities for further research. SCRM has become a popular research topic, in part owing to increased globalisation of business. Moreover competitive factors such as shorter product life cycles, technological innovations and changing government policies have brought this topic more sharply into focus. We carried out a survey among Indian supply chain professionals, based on supply chain risk constructs developed from a literature review. Statistical analysis utilised exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to determine the major risk factors in the Indian supply chain sector. We found a range of supply chain risks prevalent in Indian supply chains, classified here as cultural, operational, infrastructure, economic, forecasting and supplier-related risks. However, for a variety of reasons and as discussed in the paper, the implications can vary considerably. Based on the findings we provide a future SCRM research agenda from an Indian perspective. As international supply chains increasingly have Indian partners and domestic firms within India seek to be globally competitive, the risks need to be better understood. This is the first detailed study on SCRM practices in an Indian context.     

Emerging issues in theory and research on electronic human resource management (eHRM)

In the past several decades, technology has had a dramatic impact on human resource management (HR) processes and practices. For example, technology, especially the World Wide Web, has helped modify many HR processes including human resource planning, recruitment, selection, performance management, work flow, and compensation. These new systems have enabled HR professionals to provide better service to all of their stakeholders (e.g., applicants, employees, managers), and reduced the administrative burden in the field. Despite the widespread use of these systems, there has been a surprising dearth of theory and research on the topic. As a result, the purpose of this special issue is to (a) advance theory and research on human resource management systems (HRMS) and electronic human resource management (eHRM), (b) offer new directions for research on the topic, and (c) enhance the effectiveness of these systems in organizations. As a result, this article reviews the evolution of HRMS and eHRM, provides a brief overview of the existing literature, and introduces the articles in the special issue.     

Information technology for sustainable supply chain management: a literature survey

In supply chain management (SCM), two topics have gained importance over the last years. On the one hand, sustainable SCM (SSCM) has become increasingly relevant and many publications have contributed to the topic. On the other hand, information technology (IT) is being progressively considered as a key enabler for efficiency in supply chains. Several research efforts have contributed to the field of IT for SSCM. However, this paper is the first recent attempt to summarise the current state of the art of how IT can affect SSCM in any structured way and to compare it with IT for ‘general’ SCM to give guidance for future research. This paper surveys 55 peer-reviewed articles that were retrieved through keyword searches (until May 2014). The analysis identifies research deficits as well as a lack of scientific discourse employing empirical techniques and a lack of investigations on the social sustainability. Additionally, possible topics for further research were derived by comparing the survey’s results with the current research on IT for ‘general’ SCM following the analysis of 631 articles. Six fields could be identified, namely output/effects of IT, machine communication and multiagents, inputs and IT-supported processing, IT-enabled interorganisational exchange, quantitative IT approaches and a sector focus.     

Broad‐based employee stock ownership: What makes it effective in the management of human resources?

Research linking broad‐based employee stock ownership (BESO) with firm performance continues to receive considerable attention both in and outside the field of management. Despite the evidence being generally positive regarding the BESO–firm performance relationship, there has been a relative dearth of research providing insights into the circumstances surrounding the effectiveness of BESO. With this research gap in mind, we formulated and launched this special issue. This guest editor introduction begins with a look at the research on this topic, followed by a brief discussion of each article accepted for publication. We conclude by highlighting the major themes from the collective contributions of the articles and share insights regarding future research in this growing research domain.     

Sustainable supply chains: An introduction

Consideration is given to the convergence of supply chains and sustainability. In doing so, the focus on environmental management and operations is moved from local optimization of environmental factors to consideration of the entire supply chain during the production, consumption, customer service and post-disposal disposition of products. This is a critical and timely topic that captures increasing concerns over sustainability, whether driven by current legislation, public interest, or competitive opportunity. As such, sustainable development is a rich area for academic research that is still in its infancy and has the potential to affect future government policy, current production operations, and identify new business models. This paper provides a background to better understand current trends in this multidisciplinary field that intersect with operations management, and the research opportunities and challenges it presents.     

Supply chain risk identification with value-focused process engineering

Together with numerous benefits that were brought about by the transition from the silo enterprise perspective towards the process-based supply chain view of contemporary business, new sources of risk appeared due to the complex systemic nature of the supply chains. The need to reduce the increased level of supply chain vulnerability has been identified as a key research issue in the domain of supply chain management. In this paper, a novel value-focused process engineering methodology for process-based supply chain risk identification is proposed with the aim to increase value to supply chain members and supply chain as a whole. The proposed methodology is illustrated with a generic supply chain scenario example.     

Practices and strategies for sustainability-related risk management in multi-tier supply chains

This study investigates how sustainability-related risks are managed in multi-tier supply chains. It focuses on the strategies and practices that companies use to manage sustainability-related risks and how these differ between supply chains and supply chain tiers. We use a multiple-case study with 25 companies forming 5 multi-tier supply chains. As a result of this study, we present a conceptual framework for sustainability-related risk management practices in multi-tier supply chains and apply it empirically by defining sustainability-related risk management profiles for the case supply chains. We show that in multi-tier supply chains, companies need direct and indirect collaboration and direct and indirect monitoring practices for managing sustainability-related risks emanating from not only their first-tier suppliers but also lower-tier suppliers. Our framework helps purchasing and supply chain managers understand the dimensions of sustainability-related risk management in a multi-tier setting and develop strategies and practices for mitigating and managing those risks. We also empirically show the challenge of extending sustainability-related risk management practices beyond first-tier suppliers due to the different practices in different supply chain tiers.     

Service triads: A research agenda for buyer–supplier–customer triads in business services

Service triads, in which a buyer contracts with a supplier to deliver services directly to the buyer's customer, represent an emerging business model. This special issue is dedicated to this theme. To set the context, in this lead article, we first define service triads, both as a phenomenon and a research topic. We then provide a review of different strands of existing research and various theoretical frameworks that can inform our study of service triads. This culminates in an outline of a research agenda that can guide future study. As such, this paper not only introduces the articles in the special issue, but is also intended as a point of reference and motivation for further work on service triads, and on triads in general.     

Proactive planning for catastrophic events in supply chains

Supply chains are increasingly vulnerable to catastrophic events such as hurricanes or terrorist attacks. This is not only true because firms are more exposed to catastrophes, but also the result of investments made in recent years to operate supply chains with fewer human and capital resources, especially inventory. Consequently, there is today less “slack” available in supply chains to deal with catastrophic events. Thus, proactively planning for these types of events should be a priority for supply chain managers. A catastrophic event has a very low probability of occurrence but has significant consequences if it does occur. The goal of this research is to develop a process to proactively plan for catastrophic risk events through an integration of diverse research streams related to the management of risk. In particular, the proposed process builds upon an existing risk analysis framework by incorporating an innovative methodology used by the insurance industry to quantify the risk of multiple types of catastrophic events on key supply chain locations.     

Characteristics of research on green marketing

This paper aims to describe and analyze the main characteristics of articles on green marketing published in the most relevant journals within the period 1993–2003, in order to determine the evolution of this current issue of research over recent years and improve our understanding of this subject. We built up a database with 112 articles on green marketing and we have explored the topic, the methodology and the techniques of analysis, as well as other relevant aspects of the research. In order to complete this analysis, we made a review of articles published in two journals specializing in environmental management: BSE and CSREM. In this way, this paper offers practical help to those who are beginning research on this topic because the results will help us to determine what still needs to be investigated in this topic and hence propose a research agenda for the coming years. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Collective assessment of the human resources management field: Meta-analytic needs and theory development prospects for the future

The other articles in this special issue of Human Resource Management Review present meta-analyses of specific topic areas, or articles on methodological issues associated with meta-analyses, within the human resources management field. Ours is a bit different in that we do not present actual meta-analytic results, but instead conduct a thorough review of the field in order to identify areas where meta-analyses have not been conducted. Then, we discuss why such analyses have not been provided, suggestions for how we might like to see research proceed in such areas, and also implications for theory development in these areas of the field. We conclude our paper with some additional thoughts on issues to keep in mind as we seek to utilize meta-analysis to its fullest potential, and thus yield the best results possible.     

Structural drivers of upstream supply chain complexity and the frequency of supply chain disruptions

A great deal of research has focused on supply chain risk management, but the question “Which supply chain characteristics increase the frequency of supply chain disruptions?” has not received much attention from empirical research. This is a relevant question, because firms seek stability in their operations, and therefore managers need to know how the structure of their supply chains affects the occurrence of disruptions. The present study addresses this issue with a specific focus on upstream supply chain (supply-side) disruptions. Drawing on the literature on supply chain complexity, we devise and test a model that predicts the frequency of supply chain disruptions based on a multi-dimensional conceptualization of upstream supply chain complexity. Not only do the empirical findings suggest that all of the three investigated complexity drivers – horizontal, vertical, and spatial complexity – increase the frequency of disruptions, but also that they interact and amplify each other's effects in a synergistic fashion.     

“The way that can be told of is not an unvarying way”: Cultural impacts on Operations Management in Asia

This special issue is dedicated to Operations Management (OM) in Asia. A requirement for the special issue articles is that they have content related to the effects of national culture on OM. Here, the OM literature is combined with work from Anthropology and Women's Studies to provide a wide view of the effects of various Asian cultures on OM. The basic premise is that OM decisions may need to take culture into account: some OM practices are altered or precluded by culture, while others are more effective in some cultures than others. Numerous examples are provided involving quality management, shift scheduling, revenue management, facility location, layout, supply chain strategies, and other areas.     

Human resource management research and practice in Asia: Past,present and future

The continuing emergence of Asia as a critically important continent for the foreseeable future has renewed interest in understanding theory and practice in this region. This special issue was designed to shed light on human resource management (HRM) issues in this region, and to help guide future research in and on this region. In this introductory article, we first analyze the growth of HRM scholarship in Asia, by examining the research published over the last twenty-five years. We then describe the genesis of this special issue, and summarize the key themes emerging from the review articles in the issue. These include: psychological contract; work-life interface; corporate social responsibility; multinational corporations and their subsidiaries; the challenges of global talent management; convergence-divergence; state socialism to post-state socialism; and incorporating the context. We further offer suggestions for future research by proposing critical topics and emerging themes, including: employee voice; diversity and inclusion; employee well-being and resilience; preparing and responding to crises; and green human resource management. We conclude by offering theoretical perspectives and highlighting key recent developments which are likely to impact future practice, and should be addressed by scholars.     

Knowledge spillover-based strategic entrepreneurship

Research on knowledge spillovers (KS) has each been the subject of much scholarly attention, but has mostly been considered independently rather than in combination with each other important issue – strategic entrepreneurship (SE). The purpose of this special issue is to integrate these two approaches and to develop theory in addition to empirically investigate the phenomenon inspiring future research on the topic. This paper draws on the knowledge spillover-based strategic entrepreneurship in a multilevel context, examines the logic of the approach, and introduces the special issue by summarizing the papers contributions. Future research suggestions from the papers included in the special journal issue are also discussed and explained.     

Value of design for competitiveness – Introduction to the special issue

Good design is of great value today. However, in the future it will be of even greater value. The commoditization of traditional manufacturing and the increasing influence of 3D printing is driving profit out of manufacturing and into creating or owning the underlying product design. Consequently design in not only an important topic for journals on design, but also in other fields such as technology innovation management – hence this special issue in Technovation. The special issue consists of six papers covering a variety of topics including management and modularity.