Supply chain configurations in a global environment: A longitudinal perspective

In the last few years, companies have paid growing attention to the management of their supply chain at a global level. The need for better suppliers, international competition and research of specific competences have forced companies to improve their ability to cope with suppliers and customers located in different countries around the world. This paper aims to provide an overview of how manufacturing companies use global supply chains and how their behaviour changes over time. Longitudinal data from a sample of companies from the last two editions of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS) are used. A contingent analysis of manufacturing localization and globalization is also considered in order to identify factors influencing supply chain globalization strategies. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

消费情感对感知风险和行为意向的影响

随着信息经济的迅猛发展,网络环境下的消费者行为越来越被广大的商家和学者所关注。本文探讨顾客消费情感与感知风险和行为意向的关系。在文献研究的基础上,提出了概念模型,并通过对旅游电子商务网站作实证调查,运用结构方程模型分析等分析方法,对这个模型进行了实证检验,得出以下结论：1、正面消费情感对感知风险有显著的负向影响;负面消费情感对感知风险有显著的正向影响;2、正面消费情感对行为意向有显著的正向影响,负面消费情感对行为意向有显著的负向影响;3、感知风险对行为意向有显著的负向影响。     

Purchasing internationalisation on both sides of the Atlantic

This article focuses on similarities and differences in the perception of companies in the United States (7 cases in New York State) and Europe (5 cases from Belgium) on global purchasing opportunities and on how they react to these. It addresses two questions. First, what forces drive companies to engage in international purchasing? Seemingly basic issues such as price, quality and availability appear to be the three most important elements in this respect. Second, how do organisations organise for international purchasing in terms of configuration of actors and activities and their use of intermediaries such as brokers or agents? Findings indicate that the ways companies are organised run parallel on both sides of the Atlantic. However, we find that the New York State cases rely much more on intermediaries for their international purchasing activities than Belgian companies do.     

生活方式对中国消费者购买行为的影响——以上海手机市场为例

本文主要研究生活方式对中国消费者购买行为的影响。选择手机作为研究对象,上海作为样本的选择地点,在问卷调查的基础上,借助探索性因子分析和确认性因子分析,创建并验证了中国人的生活方式度量量表。随后用结构方程模型对生活方式与购买行为之间的关系进行了研究,详细分析了生活方式各因子与购买行为之间的内在联系。最后,作者根据研究结果从生活方式的视角提出了一个全新的中国消费市场划分方法,帮助企业针对消费群体,定位、设计、生产、完善产品和实施有效的市场营销策略。     

Development and validation of a measurement instrument for studying supply chain management practices

It is widely argued that competition is no longer between organizations, but among supply chains. Effective supply chain management (SCM) has become a potentially valuable way of securing competitive advantage and improving organizational performance. This research conceptualizes, develops, and validates six dimensions of SCM practices (strategic supplier partnership, customer relationship, information sharing, information quality, internal lean practices, and postponement). Data for the study were collected from 196 organizations and the measurement scales were tested and validated using structural equation modeling. It is hoped that this study will provide a parsimonious measurement instrument to assess the performance of the overall supply chain.     

International purchasing offices: Literature review and research directions

International Purchasing Offices (IPOs) now play an increasingly important role in the management of international sourcing activities, both in developed and emerging economies. The relevance of this organisational solution and the relatively limited research that has been published so far in the P&SCM literature make the “IPO” topic particularly promising for future research. This paper – based on an analysis of 59 works published between 1991 and 2011 – provides the first comprehensive literature review and research agenda on this topic. The primary issues (i.e., IPO definition, activities, location choices, strengths, weaknesses, and human resources management) are identified, and a conceptual framework is proposed. Building on this analysis, some theoretical and methodological weaknesses of the existing works and some gaps in the literature are discussed. This work concludes by suggesting several future research directions.     

生别调解下高卷入产品品牌体验对品牌忠诚的影响

顾客的品牌体验会影响品牌忠诚,在现有文献中已基本达成其识。本文基于进一步的维度划分,研究了品牌体验五个维度对品牌忠诚两个维度的不同影响,尤其检验了性别差异的调解作用。构建了以品牌体验为自变量,品牌忠诚为因变量,性别为调节变量的结构方程模型,进行实证研究。结果表明：品牌体验各维度对品牌忠诚的影响有不同,并且性别差异的调解效应显著。并提出企业应根据不同的目标顾客群,以不同的体验维度为重点构建品牌忠诚。从一个新的视角为品牌忠诚构建提供了理论指导。     

Blurry vision: Supply chain visibility for personal protective equipment during COVID-19

We explore supply chain visibility challenges in the context of our contemporary COVID pandemic, and offer insights, models and potential solutions to remove barriers to clear supply chain visibility. In this paper, we describe how visibility and velocity are the two key attributes that are required to enabling critical decision-making accuracy which will in turn increase the ability of local, state and federal healthcare and public health decision-makers to response to shifts in the U.S. system. We describe the problems in current systems due to the lack of visibility of material in global supply chains, which in turn leads to problems such as the lack of PPE that occurred during the COVID pandemic. We conclude with recommendations on how to render inventory more visible for the future.     

Improving sourcing decisions in NPD projects: Monetary quantification of points of difference

During new product development (NPD), firms make critical design and sourcing decisions that determine the new product's cost, performance, competitive position, and profitability. The purchase price of materials and components for the new product provides only part of the picture for design and sourcing decisions. All-encompassing analyses of cost and performance, such as total cost of ownership, are extraordinarily difficult to implement because they are demanding in terms of time, data and cooperation. We study monetary quantification of points of difference, which enables an NPD team to base its decisions instead on more focused, strategically-pertinent analyses of costs and performance. We propose a substantive model of its antecedents and consequences. We then test this model with data from matched samples of 144 project leaders and 144 cost analysts who participated in the same NPD projects. Using structural equation modeling, we also test hypothesized differences in perspectives between project leaders and cost analysts. Results demonstrate the pivotal role of monetary quantification of points of difference among the sourcing alternatives being considered, especially for cost analysts. Results also demonstrate that Decision Justification to senior management drives the NPD team's decision-making process. Finally, monetary quantification of points of difference leads to Uncertainty Reduction, which is found to be the primary antecedent of the judged success of applying analysis of cost and performance.     

Agile manufacturing: Relation to JIT, operational performance and firm performance

A structural model incorporating agile manufacturing as the focal construct is theorized and tested. The model includes the primary components of JIT (JIT-purchasing and JIT-production) as antecedents and operational performance and firm performance as consequences to agile manufacturing. Using data collected from production and operations managers working for large U.S. manufacturers, the model is assessed following a structural equation modeling methodology. The results indicate that JIT-purchasing has a direct positive relationship with agile manufacturing while the positive relationship between JIT-production and agile manufacturing is mediated by JIT-purchasing. The results also indicate that agile manufacturing has a direct positive relationship with the operational performance of the firm, that the operational performance of the firm has a direct positive relationship with the marketing performance of the firm, and that the positive relationship between the operational performance of the firm and the financial performance of the firm is mediated by the marketing performance of the firm.     

Managing the global supply base through purchasing portfolio management

‘How to source globally’ has become a critical strategic decision for companies competing on a global basis. Despite an increased focus on global sourcing and supply chain management, little is known about the challenges and solutions surrounding such sourcing practices. Extant literature points at the critical importance of developing and sharing knowledge in multinational companies (MNCs). However, little work has been undertaken to examine the organizational mechanisms used by MNC headquarters for knowledge leveraging across subsidiaries, especially in the area of purchasing and supply management. Based on an in-depth case study, focusing on a chemical company, the actual buying systems for managing the global supply base are explored. Kraljic's purchasing portfolio approach appears useful, both for developing effective purchasing strategies as well as for managing a global supply base.     

Global sourcing and quality recalls: An empirical study of outsourcing-supplier concentration-product recalls linkages

This study investigates how supply chain sourcing strategies are associated with product quality recalls. In particular, the research examines how make-or-buy decisions (i.e., outsourcing), the use of foreign suppliers (i.e., offshore outsourcing), the relocation of production to offshore markets (i.e., offshoring), and decisions to consolidate supply bases (i.e., the use of few vs. myriad suppliers) are related to product recalls. Product recalls are serious quality failures in supply chains with significant, negative impacts on firm performance. Product recalls are frequently connected to the globalization of supply chains. Globalization has, at times, promoted inconsistency in quality control and standards, leading to quality problems and failures. Data across multiple industries, with widely reported recalls, have been collected and analyzed using regression techniques. Our findings indicate that offshore outsourcing has a greater impact on recalls than offshoring without outsourcing; outsourcing domestically has the least influence. Outsourcing to a smaller supplier base may lead to fewer recalls at low levels of outsourcing. However, it may exacerbate the impact of outsourcing on recalls at high levels of outsourcing.     

Contingency relationships of firm size,TQM duration,unionization, and industry context on TQM implementation—A focus on total effects

Past TQM literature has been inconclusive in resolving the validity of the universalistic approach versus the contingency approach of TQM implementation. In this paper we contribute to the resolution of this debate by using a total effects approach within the contingency perspective. We propose a culture-quality system design-outcomes framework for TQM implementation. We then use this framework to study the differences in total effects relationships among TQM constructs across four contingencies, firm size, TQM duration, unionization, and industry type. Data from a sample of 394 plants (SIC codes 20 through 39) are used to test the validity of our contingency model. Our results revealed that firm size, TQM duration, and industry type moderate the influence of total effects of culture (top management commitment, customer focus, and trust) on final outcomes (process quality, product quality, and customer satisfaction). These contingencies also moderate the influence of total effects of quality system design (design management, training, empowerment, quality information usage, supplier quality management, and process quality management) on final outcomes. The strongest contributor to variation in total effects across groups was industry type, followed by size and then TQM duration. To a lesser extent, unionization was a moderator in total effects relationships. These findings uniquely contribute to the emerging contingency theory of TQM implementation.     

Limits to global sourcing?: Strategic consequences of dependency on international suppliers: Cluster theory,resource-based view and case studies

This paper argues for the inclusion of an analysis of industry clusters when making decisions about global or local sourcing. Suppliers are viewed as valuable resources that can contribute to a firm's competitive advantage. Two contrasting case studies illustrate that, contrary to common expectations, a high global sourcing quota does not necessarily improve a firm's competitiveness. Rather, there may be limits to global sourcing, if a firm is unable to become a preferred customer of its strategic suppliers. Achieving preferred customer status is easier for firms located in the same regional or national cluster than it is for foreign firms attempting to access a remote supplier. This paper contributes a new and more differentiated approach to global sourcing decisions by integrating the cluster concept. Furthermore, our findings enrich the discourse of strategic management by supporting the view that resources which enable a firm to achieve sustainable competitive advantages can be located beyond its legal boundaries.     

Supply chain collaboration: Impact on collaborative advantage and firm performance

Facing uncertain environments, firms have strived to achieve greater supply chain collaboration to leverage the resources and knowledge of their suppliers and customers. The objective of the study is to uncover the nature of supply chain collaboration and explore its impact on firm performance based on a paradigm of collaborative advantage. Reliable and valid instruments of these constructs were developed through rigorous empirical analysis. Data were collected through a Web survey of U.S. manufacturing firms in various industries. The statistical methods used include confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling (i.e., LISREL). The results indicate that supply chain collaboration improves collaborative advantage and indeed has a bottom-line influence on firm performance, and collaborative advantage is an intermediate variable that enables supply chain partners to achieve synergies and create superior performance. A further analysis of the moderation effect of firm size reveals that collaborative advantage completely mediates the relationship between supply chain collaboration and firm performance for small firms while it partially mediates the relationship for medium and large firms.