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.     

Success factors for continuous supply chain process improvement: evidence from Japanese manufacturers

This study explores how firms can realise ‘continuous’ supply chain process improvement. Specifically, this study proposes the success factors of routinised activities (also called ‘repeated activities’) in the supply chain process improvement. Eight Japanese manufacturers are selected for the case studies. These firms are selected based on their supply chain process operation capabilities. From the case studies, we find that the planning of supply chain process improvement depends on the existing stage of the firm’s Supply Chain Management reform. In addition, even firms with high scores for supply chain process operation capabilities do not have supply chain performance systems. Furthermore, quite surprisingly, many Japanese manufacturers tend to improve their supply chain processes in the absence of such systems.     

Does obligational contracting lead to better performance? A comparison of global carmakers’ supply chain management approaches in Australia

Supply chain management (SCM) has been recognised as key to automobile manufacturers’ (‘buyers’) competitive advantage. However, the performance implication of two different approaches towards SCM, obligational contracting (OCR) vs. arm’s length contracting (ACR), remains inconclusive in the current literature. By focusing on examining how multiple global automobile manufacturers’ SCM practices result in different performance outcomes in the one-country setting of Australia, we are able to ascertain the direct impact of SCM approaches on buyers’ performance. We also provide detailed analysis on the specific influence of each distinguishing feature of the OCR/ACR approaches on different aspects of performance. Through a more nuanced investigation of the links between SCM approaches and automobile manufacturers’ performance at the firm level, this research contributes to a better understanding of the topic with managerially applicable insights.     

A theory of supplier network-based innovation value

To understand how a supplier helps a buying company create value through innovations, studies have focused on a supplier's internal resources or its relationship with a buying company. Building upon this body of literature, we develop a theory of supplier network-based innovation value in this conceptual paper. This theory explains how a supplier's upstream and downstream value network can be a source of competitive advantage for a buying company. Specifically, it proposes that the levels and types of supplier innovation value is contingent on the configuration of a dual-ego value network, characterized by the locus and degree of buyer-supplier structural equivalence. This theory also explains how a supplier's ties with a buying firm's competitors can pose both opportunity and risk to buying company innovation. This theory contributes to the literature by showing when “seemingly undesirable” suppliers, due to a lack of technical capability or strong relationship with a buying company, might still be valuable to a buying company's innovation.     

Re-examining the link between fairness and commitment in buyer-supplier relationships

By re-examining the link between fairness and commitment in supply chain relationships, this study elaborates on the existing theory that views fairness only as an antecedent. It proposes that commitment can also precede perceived fairness, thus redefining the link between the concepts as bidirectional in buyer–supplier relationships. The study examines both the buyer and supplier perspectives. Based on interviews at 24 technology industry firms in Finland, this empirical study demonstrates that buyer commitment has a positive impact on how suppliers perceive distributive fairness in the relationship. In turn, this effect is reciprocated by the suppliers through a commitment in the form of relationship-specific investments and continuous improvements that are perceived as fair by the buyer. As a managerial implication the study emphasizes the importance of fairness evaluation to the relationship parties.     

The effects of bargaining power on trade credit in a supply network

We develop a multi-tier supply network model, rooted in social network theory, to evaluate the effect of bargaining power on trade credit and to track the effect of buyers' trade credit on suppliers' trade credit. We apply social network analysis to measure companies' bargaining power in the supply network of Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M, the Swedish clothing retailer). The results show that the buyer's bargaining power significantly affects the choice of trade credit, and that the supplier's “upstreamness” is significantly associated with its trade credit. We find limited evidence to support the notion of a financial bullwhip effect, a result that merits further research, since this study is limited to the network of one company up to its fourth tier of suppliers in one financial year. Our results can be applied by companies seeking to control their cash flow and, therefore, the financial pressure within their supply network. This study contributes to the literature by bringing social network measures into the buyer–supplier financial flow, as well as offering one of the first empirical examinations of the propagation of financial pressure in a multi-tier supply network.     

自利抑或协同：非国有股权参与如何影响国有企业绿色技术创新

基于外部性理论与制度理论,以2013-2019年A股国有上市公司为研究样本,利用面板Tobit模型考察非国有股权参与对国有企业绿色技术创新的影响。结果发现,非国有股权参与显著促进国有企业绿色技术创新,股权融合程度越高,绿色技术创新水平越高,外资股东参与有利于国有企业绿色技术创新,但机构投资者未表现出明显作用;分层分类检验结果表明,非国有股权参与更有利于中央国有企业、公益类国有企业绿色技术创新。外部治理环境调节效应检验结果表明,环保补贴可以增强非国有股权的环境研发激励作用,分析师关注有利于抑制私有股权短视化自利行为,二者均正向调节非国有股权参与对国有企业绿色技术创新的促进作用。     

供应链合作关系对供应链绩效的影响——基于长三角企业的实证研究

供应链合作关系中的信任和未来期许均对于供应链运作绩效中的产品质量和客户服务水平具有正向影响作用,而对于产品具有负向作用。但是供应链合作关系中的合作意愿仅仅对于产品质量和客户服务水平具有正向影响作用,但是对于成本的影响没有通过原来的假设。因此对于企业而言,要提高供应链运作绩效的水平,应综合考虑供应链合作关系的维度,可根据实际情况加强各种合作行为,全面提升双方合作的绩效。