INTERNET RETAILING INTERMEDIATION: A MULTILEVEL ANALYSIS OF INVENTORY LIQUIDITY AND FULFILLMENT GUARANTEES

Internet retailers intermediate online markets by setting prices, matching wholesalers' supply with consumers' demand, affording inventory liquidity, and meeting fulfillment guarantees to consumers. Little attention has been given to studying the two latter intermediation functions. To fill this research gap, this study examined a sample of 25 mainstream online retailers in some 704 transactions with consumers. The study evaluates the inventory liquidity and the fulfillment guarantees these Internet retailers provide to consumers. Furthermore, it presents a path‐analysis model, which suggests that retailers coordinate their actual and promised inventory‐liquidity and delivery performance to satisfy the fulfillment guarantees made to consumers. Moreover, the results show that key transactional attributes (i.e., the net price and the number of items fulfilled) commonly present in Internet markets and visible to all market participants impact both the levels of inventory liquidity and the delivery performance of the transactions between consumers and Internet retailers.     

INTERORGANIZATIONAL TIME‐BASED POSTPONEMENT IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN

This paper presents the results of empirical research on the use of time‐based postponement in a supply chain context using data collected from two manufacturers, a distributor, and a retailer. The analysis shows that implementing postponement at the firm level can result in the supply chain carrying more inventory. In order to achieve its full potential, postponement needs to be implemented across organizations in the supply chain.     

CUSTOMER SERVICE IN THE INTERNET‐ENABLED LOGISTICS SUPPLY CHAIN: WEBSITE DESIGN ANTECEDENTS AND LOYALTY EFFECTS

This article extends the existing research on logistics customer service‐loyalty relationships to the online logistics supply chain environment by examining potential website determinants of logistics customer service quality. A structural equation analysis of 373 online shopping transactions suggests that perceived quality of all logistics customer service activities (perceived cycle time, in‐stock availability, and customer responsiveness) varies inversely with: (1) perceived ease of use, and (2) content vividness of the website; and positively with product information content. However, only retailer customer responsiveness assessment was found to have any significant influence on consumer intended loyalty behavior in Internet‐enabled supplies chains.     

CONSUMER DIRECT FULFILLMENT PERFORMANCE IN INTERNET RETAILING: EMERGENCY TRANSSHIPMENTS AND DEMAND DISPERSION

The collaborative fulfillment of consumer orders by Internet retailers and wholesalers has proven important in the realization of sustainable levels of online profitability. Concentrating on consumer direct fulfillment (or drop shipping), an empirical simulation model evaluates avenues for improving logistical performance. The empirical simulation model centers on the online music CD retailing industry. It evaluates the effects of emergency transshipments and demand dispersion on inventory and product‐release performance, as well as on transportation costs, in consumer direct fulfillment operations. Results show that emergency transshipments improve inventory and product‐release performance in these operations. Furthermore, the inventory‐performance improvements are maximized when inventory facilities fulfill demand that is uniformly balanced across markets primarily assigned to each facility. Finally, gains in inventory and release performance obtained from emergency transshipments outweigh additional transportation costs incurred from a greater reliance on emergency transshipments for consumer direct fulfillment.     

AN EVALUATION OF PROCESS‐ORIENTED SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORKS

Supply chain management (SCM) is implemented by integrating corporate functions using business processes within and across companies. Several process‐oriented frameworks for SCM have been proposed but only two of these provide sufficient detail to enable implementation. We evaluate the Supply‐Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) framework and The Global Supply Chain Forum (GSCF) framework using four criteria and identify their relative strengths and weaknesses.     

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION AND PRIORITY STRATEGIES IN DANISH ORGANIZATIONS

There has been little discussion on how to prioritize and implement SCM strategies within organizations. This paper presents a decision tool to identify prioritized strategies for improving SCM implementation and validates its use in a study amongst SCM managers of 100 Danish organizations.     

RESPONDING TO DISRUPTIONS IN THE SUPPLY NETWORK‐FROM DORMANT TO ACTION

Managing risks in supply networks is a complex task; more so in those supply networks where the core competence lies in dealing with natural disasters, complex emergencies, and large‐scale attacks—namely those of humanitarian, and military organizations where the price of failure can be counted in terms of the loss of life rather than, simply, reduced profits. This conceptual article examines the capabilities of these supply networks to manage such disruptions, based on their resource configuration in a dormant preparation state. The article concludes by presenting how different types of supply networks can manage large‐scale disruptions.     

THE ROLE OF LOGISTICS MANAGERS IN THE CROSS‐FUNCTIONAL IMPLEMENTATION OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

There is confusion about the domain of supply chain management, and the functions and processes that should be included. In this paper, we describe the key supply chain management processes, the role of logistics managers in each of these processes, and what the logistics function gains from this involvement.