The geography of suppliers and retailers

In the last decades, supply chains have increasingly transcended national boundaries developing into global supply chains. Along with the many opportunities arising from international sourcing and the extended commercial presence over the world, the management of a globally dispersed supply chain is highly complex. A key issue to consider when dealing with the global supply chain design is the location of facilities, not only with respect to firms' owned facilities but also the supply and distribution side as factors that affect supply chain complexity and operational performance. This paper sets out a methodological framework to characterize the geographical configuration of a firm's suppliers and retailer networks. Quantitative indexes of network spatial concentration and relative proximity measures based on a nonparametric kernel density estimator are developed to identify both intra- and inter-firm patterns between the supply and point of sales' distributions. The method is first described by means of a series of theoretical-illustrative examples and exemplified by analyzing the geographical dispersion of four practical cases from the fashion-textile industry (i.e., Adidas, Benetton, C&A, and Puma). Subsequently, managerial implications and potential use of the metrics are discussed, showing how the proposed approach can support researchers and practitioners to improve supply chain location decisions and logistic integration, and evaluate changes in either the purchasing or distribution strategy.     

Managing supply chain risk and disruption from IT security incidents

Supply chain practices often put companies and their supply chains at risk. One of the most serious risks is disruptions. While many types of disruptions have been considered, little attention has been given to disruptions caused by information technology (IT) security incidents. Partner cooperation can assist in preventing or mitigating damage from IT security breaches in supply chains, where breaches can disrupt production, cause loss of essential data, and compromise confidential information. We develop a generalizable mathematical model that quantifies IT security risk in the supply chain. We then show how to find solutions for optimal risk reduction under several definitions of optimality: minimizing upstream risk, minimizing downstream risk, and minimizing global (supply chain) risk. We show how to develop curves for each of the above scenarios that indicate when extra funds should be spent on security, which security controls should be implemented, and when subsidies among partners are beneficial.     

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.     

Global value chains,local collective action and corporate social responsibility: a review of empirical evidence

A key debate in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature is the tension between global pressures and local responses. Developing country suppliers often grumble that CSR compliance adds costs. Yet, local collective action, articulated through industry associations, can potentially reduce costs and promote local embeddedness of CSR initiatives. Through case study analysis, this paper considers how demands for CSR compliance prompted collective action responses in selected developing country export industries. We argue that differences in collective responses can be partially explained by how local export industries are inserted into global value chains. We distinguish between ‘highly visible’ value chains, led by internationally well known brands as lead firms, and relatively ‘less visible’ chains, where external CSR pressures come from a variety of sources, including less dominant lead firms, international/national regulatory frameworks and national media. This differentiation suggests a possible trade‐off between the independence and the embeddedness of collective CSR initiatives. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Taking the leap from dyads to triads: Buyer–supplier relationships in supply networks

A network is made up of nodes and links. The smallest unit that consists of both these network elements is a dyad made up of two nodes (a buyer and a supplier) and the link that connects them (a buyer–supplier relationship).Naturally, the focus of the supply chain management literature has been on this dyad. For instance, a buyer affects a supplier through its supplier evaluation and certificate programs, as well as long-term agreement practices. The relationship between a buyer and its supplier has been characterized as cooperative or adversarial. We have learned a great deal about supply chains through such studies in dyadic context.However, we submit that in a network, a dyad is not the smallest unit of a network. In fact, the smallest unit is a triad, made up of three nodes and the links that connect them. If so, how would this recognition guide us as we move forward to investigate supply chains as a network? What would be its implications to the genre of the literature on buyer–supplier relationships?     

An analysis of job dissatisfaction and turnover to reduce global supply chain risk: Evidence from China

Suppliers’ labor problems in developing countries have emerged as a key risk in global supply chains. In China's coastal industrial zones, where most Fortune 500 companies have established their manufacturing bases, local suppliers are facing serious labor turnover problems. High labor turnover rates have caused poor quality, low productivity, and unfilled orders in supply chains. Applying a combination of quantitative techniques to determine the reasons why workers leave China's export factories, this research tries to identify the root causes of job dissatisfaction leading to turnover and provides managerial implications that may assist managers in dealing with labor-related supply chain risks.     

从风险后果角度探讨供应链风险传导机理

供应链系统存在多种风险因素,这些风险因素具有传导性,并且在传导中给节点企业带来经济损失,对节点企业和供应链系统造成危害。作者从风险后果的角度出发,讨论了当风险来临时,风险因素对节点企业和整个供应链的影响,并结合供应链系统统计的相关数据,得出风险要素之间的传导概率,提出了风险因素的传导损失计算模型,利用此模型和风险因素带来的损失,可计算出传导损失,并将此损失与节点企业和供应链可承受的损失做比较,得出风险控制的相关结论。     

A Delphi study on the supply risk-mitigating effect of additive manufacturing during SARS-COV-2

Procurement has faced major challenges due to the collapse of global supply chains in the course of the SARS-COV2 pandemic, and non-critical items have become critical bottlenecks. Additive manufacturing (AM) is an emerging technology that serves as a local supply source and can mitigate some of these bottlenecks. For example, it was possible to source medical spare parts and protective equipment via AM, even when the globally arranged traditional (formative or subtractive manufacturing) supply sources failed. To that end, this research examines how supply risks change when sourced via an AM supply source rather than through supply sources that use traditional manufacturing (TM). This study assesses supply risk using a Delphi study from July to October 2020. The findings were further explored using discriminant analysis. A mix of TM supply sources with AM (‘hedging’) can minimise the overall supply risks. The discussion conceptualises a portfolio model to determine whether to source demands via TM, AM, or by hedging. The implications of hedged manufacturing are linked to the modern portfolio theory.     

社会责任弱化视角下跨国供应链网络模型研究

从全球供应链网络特点出发,分析了跨国公司在全球价值链中的特殊地位及其社会责任弱化或缺失的原因和严重后果,并提出从改善供应链网络结构、加强跨国公司社会责任主导作用、系统规制等三方面来促进在华跨国公司履行社会责任。     

Improving agility and resilience of automotive spares supply chain: The additive manufacturing enabled truck model

The global supply chain disruption by the COVID-19 pandemic is difficult, if not impossible, to estimate as over 94% of the top 1000 fortune companies were badly affected. The need for building resilient supply chains to mitigate the effect of such disruptions is rising rapidly than ever before across the global business spectrum. Building resilience in the automotive spare parts (ASPs) supply chain is critically important as any disruption to automotive spares supply chain will affect the operations of the logistics sector, the backbone of global supply chains. This research work contributes to improving the resilience of the automotive spare parts supply chain by proposing a Viable Supply Chain (VSC) framework design that incorporates Additive Manufacturing (AM) enabled trucks in the automotive spares supply chain network. Based on the proposed model, conceptual case models are developed and tested with proposed AM enabled truck manufacturing closer to end customer. A heuristic approach called shortest time heuristic is also proposed to solve the routing and scheduling of an AM enabled truck to deliver customers’ orders of the spare parts through an online platform. Importantly, the study demonstrate how additive manufacturing can help the ASPs industry to switch from the existing practice of make-to-stock to a more efficient inventory management and cost saving make-to-order model while also achieving resilience and sustainability in by providing a source of spares support for discontinued models of vehicles.     

Postponement strategy for international transfer of products in a global supply chain: A system dynamics examination

This paper contributes to research on “postponement” strategy in the context of a global production–distribution system of an automobile manufacturer. It proposes a model that integrates multiple considerations germane to global supply chains. Postponement is important in this context because it is necessary to consider international transfers and tariffs, and it is important to appropriately account for the impact of postponement on total costs. Consideration of several key variables such as shipping point, customs tariff, and cost differences between countries is essential to derive full benefits from postponement strategy in global supply chains. International transfer of goods among countries in global automobile industry is complex and dynamic because of the multitude of factors that must be considered. The paper develops insights regarding postponement strategy in global supply chains via a system dynamics simulation model. The model draws on the experiences of a Korean automobile manufacturer with operations in developing and developed countries.     

The effects of tariff increases on supply base complexity: A conceptual framework

Recent protectionist trends around the world have raised interest in newly enforced or increased tariffs and their effects on global supply chains. For firms sourcing globally, tariff introductions or increases significantly affect importing costs, which ultimately affect product costs. Such tariff changes may incentivize firms to adjust their supply base to mitigate these cost increases, thus altering the structure and complexity of firms' supply bases. In this paper, we first characterize the U.S. tariff landscape from 1997 to 2017. We then develop a conceptual model to explain how the severity and timing uncertainty of expected tariff increases influence a firm's speed of adapting to the changing tariff environment. Specifically, we explore firms' propensity to form or delete ties to suppliers, which influences supply base complexity. Moreover, we consider factors that moderate the relationship between severity, timing uncertainty, and supply base complexity, including a tariff's geographical scope, a firm's relative purchase spend, and supply risk. Our conceptual model offers both research and managerial implications.     

Network effects in influenza spread: The impact of mobility and socio-economic factors

This paper introduces new methods of modeling and analyzing social networks that emerge in the context of disease spread. Four methods of constructing informative networks are presented, two of which use. static data and two use temporal data, namely individual citizen mobility observations taken over an extensive period of time. We show how the built networks can be analyzed, and how the numerical results can be interpreted, using network permutation-based surprise analysis. In doing so, we explain the relationship of surprise analysis with conventional network hypothesis testing and Quadratic Assignment Procedure regression. Surprise analysis is more comprehensive, and can be without limitation performed with any form(s) of network subgraphs, including those with multiple nodal attributes, weighted links, and temporal features. To illustrate our methodological work in application, we put them to use for interpreting networks constructed from the data collected over one year in an observational study in Buffalo and Erie counties in New York state during the 2016–2017 influenza season. Even with the limitations in the data size, our methods are able to reveal the global (city- and season-wide) patterns in the spread of influenza, taking into account population mobility and socio-economic factors.     

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.     

Supranational grievance mechanisms and firm-level employment relations

The dynamics of regulation of employment relations in the global supply chains of multinational enterprises (MNEs), including the growth of various forms of private regulation, has attracted significant scholarly attention. However, the role of international organisations in supporting supranational institutional pathways for social contestation of business practices has been neglected. This study addresses this gap by analysing cases lodged by national and global unions through the specific instances mechanism of the OECD Guidelines for MNEs. It reveals the design and operational deficiencies of this mechanism but also points to the current and future opportunities for firm-level labour grievances and justice claims to be addressed at the supranational scale.     

复杂供应链网络风险识别下的审计质量研究——基于全球断供冲击的视角

通过重点考察复杂供应链网络风险识别下的审计质量，研究发现全球断供冲击下我国下游企业供应链运营的中断风险显著提升了审计质量。作用机制表明，全球断供冲击会影响审计师执业风险，进而提高下游企业的审计质量。异质性分析显示，上述效应在事务所信息化水平高、企业供应商集中度低、审计师具备行业专长及大规模事务所的样本中更加显著。经济后果检验表明，在全球断供冲击下高质量审计供给有助于降低企业股价同步性，提高资本市场定价效率。研究结论不仅丰富了供应链网络风险与审计质量的相关研究，也为识别复杂供应链网络风险传播机理、增强供应链竞争力提供了理论依据与经验参考。     

国防军工企业供应链风险评估研究

由于市场竞争日趋激烈,消费者的需求变化迅速,越来越多的军工企业采用了先进的供应链模式,以求提升自身的竞争力。与此同时军工企业供应链风险也随之而来,给很多企业带来了严重的损失,大大影响了供应链的正常运作。所以,建立模糊综合评估模型,对军工企业供应链风险进行深入探讨,在实证分析的基础上采取有针对性的防范措施,具有重大理论和现实意义。     

应急物流服务网点选址模型研究

应急物流是应对突发事件的重要保障。应急物流可以降低灾害影响程度,缩短受害持续时间,使突发性事件造成损失最小化。而在进行应急物流决策时,首先会面临应急物流服务网点的选址问题。应急物流服务网点置于合理的位置,不仅可以降低成本,而且还能够保证提供应急物资的时效性,从而避免可能导致的更大损失。在给定限制条件下应急服务网点选址模型基础上,综合考虑应急需求的随机性和由灾害导致应急配送时间模糊的不确定情况,研究新的模糊和随机混合机会约束规划选址模型。     

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.