Sustainable humanitarian supply chain management – exploring new theory

Disaster response operations aim at helping as many victims as possible in the shortest time, with limited consideration of the socio-economic context. During the disaster rehabilitation phase, the perspective needs to broaden and comprehensively take into account the local environment. We propose a framework of sustainable humanitarian supply chain management (SCM) that facilitates such comprehensive performance. We conceptualise the framework by combining literature from the fields of sustainable and humanitarian SCM. We test the framework through an analytic induction process by means of multiple case studies of four relief organisations. Our framework suggests that supply chain design needs to be aligned not only to relief organisations’ enablers, but also to the population's long-term requirements as well as any socio-economic and governmental contingency factors. A good fit between these dimensions leads to sustainable performance. The framework provides an instrument for relief organisations to achieve sustainable performance in the disaster rehabilitation phase.     

The strategies of supply chain risk management – a synthesis and classification

This paper conducts an in-depth systematic literature review of 86 peer-reviewed academic journal articles on supply chain risk management (SCRM) strategies from 2000 to mid-2015. The findings indicate a variety of dispersed supply chain risk (SCR) mitigating strategies and suggest a more homogeneous use of terminology. Moreover, the analysis also reveals insufficient evidence for the effect of SCRM on performance. The current study groups and synthesises the various SCRM strategies into proactive and reactive approaches for the ante and the post disruption state and classifies them according to the different supply chain types. Altogether the findings provide essential practical and theoretical contributions to strategic responses to adverse incidents by creating a unique conceptual framework of SCRM strategies and providing direction towards promising areas of research.     

Adapting supply chain management strategies to security – an analysis of existing gaps and recommendations for improvement

The purpose of this paper is to determine the main security threats in supply chains, to understand gaps in today’s supply chain management strategies and to make recommendations to enhance security in the context of supply chain management. Previous research lacks comprehensive studies and recommendations about how supply chain managers deal with security issues in line with the business visions and strategies of their companies. The study methodology is based on an exploratory approach. Data were collected from 20 managers from international companies by means of self-administered surveys, one-to-one interviews and group interviews. Study findings point out risk management as an important tool at the disposal of managers for trading off performance and vulnerability. However, some important challenges also need to be considered, such as lack of data, insiders, IT vulnerabilities, regulatory frameworks, criminal behaviour, etc. Hence, recommendations are made for managers to improve their understanding of supply chain security.     

Are supply chain management theories culturally constrained? An empirical assessment

Culture plays an increasingly important role in supply chain management as many manufacturing firms have linkages to suppliers and customers from various countries. In this paper we propose treating culture as an explanatory variable to test the assumption that existing theories are universally applicable. The primary research question was: Do purchasing theories built on samples from mainly North American companies with Anglo-Saxon cultures apply in other cultural contexts? We developed and tested a model where top management??s view of the purchasing function affects purchasing practices and manufacturing performance. The statistical results provide evidence that the engagement and efficacy of purchasing practices is highly dependent on culture. This finding has significant implications from the perspective of decision making in international supply chain management. Specifically, top managers across multiple cultures could decide to structure and evaluate the purchasing function similarly, but these decisions could lead to different practices and different outcomes depending on the culture.     

Is EDI dead? The future of the Internet in supply chain management

I have been involved in materials management for about 30 years (that is not something many of us really want to admit--it says we are getting old), and over that time I have seen many methods of communication come and go. In the 1960s, we used seven-part carbon forms to generate orders. We also used the keypunch card or IBM card to send our request for materials to our supplier. The supplier would acknowledge our order and provide us with a promise date. This could be done by mail using these cards or by forwarding the information to us electronically for conversion to cards. I could trace the history of communication in painful detail, but that is not important. What is important is that the only thing that has remained constant in those past 30 years has been change. We have all heard that before, but we seem to forget it. This presentation will look at the future of EDI and the Internet in supply chain management.     

Achieving supply chain ‘Leagility’ through a project management orientation

Many forces have combined to make today's supply chains more complex than ever before. These forces include the significant trend to out-sourcing; the growth of offshore manufacturing and procurement; the rising demand for customer-specific solutions and the globalisation of markets. The paper highlights the challenges that organisations must address in order to gain and retain competitiveness in today's markets – in particular, the need to achieve ever lower costs while simultaneously enhancing responsiveness. In other words, the need is to develop hybrid supply chains that are both ‘lean’ and ‘agile’. Using a single case study of a global telecommunications company as an example, the authors demonstrate how supply chain complexity can effectively be mastered by adopting a project management orientation and in the process enabling outcomes that are ‘leagile’, that is, both lean and agile.     

Responsible supply chain management – an analysis of Taiwanese gutter oil scandal using the theory of constraint

Food safety is one of the main concerns in many countries throughout the world. Failure to ensure food safety would result in significant health concerns to the general public. Despite much effort to improve food safety, many cases of food safety issues or even crises have happened around the world from time to time; it results in undesirable health problems. One of the recent food safety scandals that happened in Taiwan in 2014 was related to the usage of gutter/tainted oil by several oil suppliers. The series of food safety incidents affected 1256 businesses. In order to ensure a responsible supply chain, we analysed the problem using the theory of constraint. Some issues towards the root cause of the problem are suggested. The objective of our study emphasises on building a responsible supply chain and food safety regulation in order to improve food safety in Taiwan.     

Green logistics in food distribution – a case study

Environmental impacts, such as Green House gas emissions, have been introduced to supply chain management as an additional parameter to traditional key performance indicators such as cost, lead-time and on-time delivery. This paper analyses a case example from the food industry on how CO₂ emissions are structured in a value chain. The focus of the analysis covers food factory order-picking operations, transportation, warehousing and distribution aspects. The paper aims to demonstrate greening and CO₂ saving potential areas of development for thermo-controlled food logistics. The results show the energy-saving potential of several supply chain processes giving examples of distribution logistic online-temperature controlling possibilities. Greening decisions in supply chain design in the food industry are considered.     

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.     

An empirical analysis: Did green supply chain management alleviate the effects of COVID-19?

Supply chain management played a central role during the COVID-19 crisis, as the outbreak of the pandemic disrupted the majority of all global supply chains. This paper tests whether companies that use green supply chain management (GSCM) practices benefited from a buffer effect in the context of COVID-19. Our empirical analysis, conducted on a sample of U.S. companies, shows that GSCM companies experienced less negative abnormal stock returns during the crisis. This result contributes to the literature on financial impact of GSCM, finding that GSCM is perceived as an effective risk management tool and can serve as an effective drug against COVID-19 crisis. Our paper also contributes to the business debate on the role of green supply chains in the post-COVID19 world.     

Which is better for durable goods producers,exclusive or open supply chain?

We explore the supply chain problem of a downstream durable goods monopolist, who chooses one of the following trading modes: an exclusive supply chain with an incumbent supplier or an open supply chain, allowing the monopolist to trade with a new efficient entrant in the future. The expected retail price reduction in the future dampens the profitability of the original firms. An efficient entrant's entry magnifies such a price reduction, causing a further reduction of original firms' joint profits. In equilibrium, the downstream monopolist chooses the exclusive supply chain to escape further price reductions, although it expects efficient entry.     

Managerial research on the pharmaceutical supply chain – A critical review and some insights for future directions

This paper presents a systematic review of research on management in the pharmaceutical supply chain (PSC). Recent PSC literature, published in peer-reviewed academic journals, was collated for content analysis. Research efforts depict a traditional focus on efficiency-improvement, with an emerging interest in process-analysis and technology implementation in the PSC. PSC research is also highly context-specific and focuses on developed economies. Accompanied with a transition towards network-centric approaches, studies depict distinct focus on three levels of industrial interaction, which influence the final value delivered. Research focus is rapidly moving from value addition within the pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution environment to the interface with healthcare services, facilitated by the healthcare procurement and supply function. The review broadly outlines the scope for integrating research efforts from R&D to final healthcare delivery and for more studies in emerging economies.     

When supply chain strategy changes, what doesn't change?

Although implementation of an assemble-to-order supply chain strategy can often improve customer service, the transition to an assemble-to-order system requires many new processes, organizations, and skills. This article, in describing how Etec Systems, a leader in patterning solutions for the semiconductor and electronics industries, has implemented an assemble-to-order strategy, illuminates some of the issues that will be faced by any company choosing such a strategy.     

How do supply chain management and information systems practices influence operational performance? Evidence from emerging country SMEs

This study first provides a comparative analysis of the impact of supply chain management (SCM) and information systems (IS) practices on operational performance (OPER) of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in two neighbouring emerging country markets of Turkey and Bulgaria. Then, we investigate moderating effects of both SCM–IS-linked enablers and inhibitors on the links between SCM and IS practices and OPER of SMEs. To this end, we first empirically identify the underlying dimensions of SCM and IS practices, and SCM–IS-related enabling and inhibiting factors. Second, a series of regression analyses are undertaken to estimate the impact of the study's constructs on OPER of SMEs. The results are discussed comparatively within the contexts of both Turkish and Bulgarian SMEs and beyond. The study makes a significant contribution to the extant literature through obtaining and analysing cross-national survey data of SCM and IS practices in emerging country markets.     

Framing Sustainable Supply Chain Finance: how can supply chain sustainability practices and supply chain finance solutions be integrated?

Supply chain finance (SCF) can play a role in improving supply chain (SC) sustainability. That is why academics have started investigating the connection between SCF and sustainable SC management, and practitioners have begun developing new SCF solutions with a sustainable orientation. Although SCF solutions have been suggested as supporting tools for the diffusion of sustainability within SCs, academic contributions have only partially investigated sustainable SCF (SSCF). There is the need to understand in greater detail first, how different SC sustainability practices (e.g., supplier assessment, supplier development, incentives to suppliers, and third-party involvement) can be integrated into SCF solutions; second, how different brokerage roles can facilitate this integration to contribute to the successful implementation of an SSCF solution. This paper investigates those aspects through multiple international exploratory case studies. The results confirm that SCF solutions become sustainable by integrating different SC sustainability practices, either embedded in the SSCF solutions or reinforced by the implementation of the solutions. Moreover, involving new actors, including third-party information providers, NGOs, and certification bodies, who assume different brokerage roles, positively influences the development of SSCF solutions.     

Toward a supply chain finance (SCF) ecosystem – Proposing a framework and agenda for future research

While supply chain finance (SCF) is receiving growing attention in research, it remains limited in reach and fragmented in its implementation. At the same time, technological advances are changing the shape of the overall business ecosystem in which SCF is embedded. Therefore, the aim of this research is to conduct a systematic review of the SCF literature and develop a framework of analysis to support further exploration of the SCF ecosystem. This research expands on other recent systematic reviews of SCF literature and introduces the business ecosystem concept to the SCF domain. Based on the presented SCF framework, an agenda for future SCF ecosystem research is proposed.     

Are internal manufacturing and external supply chain flexibilities complementary capabilities?

Manufacturing flexibility is often viewed as a strategic capability that enables firms to more effectively meet heterogeneous market demands arising, in part, from increased product proliferation. However, recent studies suggest that the operational challenges associated with meeting this objective may be heavily dependent not only upon a firm's internal modification, mix, and new product flexibilities, but also upon the flexibility of its inbound and outbound supply chain partners. Drawing upon the theory of Complementarity, we examine if simultaneous utilization of both internal and external flexibilities does in fact create synergies that can improve a firm's delivery performance. Based on a sample of 158 U.S. manufacturing plants, we find that the extent to which performance enhancing synergies are generated is primarily dependent upon the type of internal flexibility that is paired with supply chain flexibilities. Additionally, we find that when synergies do exist, external supplier and logistics flexibilities generally tend to enhance the scope of flexible response, while internal flexibilities generally tend to enhance the achievability of a flexible response. Taken together, our findings suggest that the ability of firms to actually reap the synergistic benefits of an integrated system of supply chain flexibility is much more complex and nuanced than previously believed or expected.     

Worker poaching in a supply chain: Enemy from within?

Worker poaching represents the primary mode by which workers change employers. We examine worker poaching between firms linked in a value chain. We find that, in a value chain, the less productive firm may offer its workers higher wages and poach workers from the more productive firm. We also find that worker flows accomplished via poaching impact supply chain management: (a) the identity of the bottleneck firm may depend on whether poaching is available; (b) poaching between linked firms may benefit both, and (c) the value chain cannot be fully coordinated without controlling wages in the labor market.