Supply Chain Management: An International Journal

Attracting and educating the right supply chain managers are a critical challenge to the realization of most supply chain objectives irrespective of the state of the economy (shortage of personnel several months ago or increasing lay‐offs currently). This is because of the richness of capabilities required to do the job well. Much of our teaching in logistics and supply chain management focuses on the technical aspects of the role. However, the importance and criticality of the human aspects are becoming increasingly apparent. A new approach to the people dimension is called for. This paper uncovers a set of emotional capabilities, which, if combined with the technical capability that is undoubtedly needed as well, would transform the industry. One emotional capability, the ability to influence, is examined by way of illustrating what we mean by emotional capability. Suggestions are offered for furthering managerial capabilities in supply chain management.

– The purpose of this study is to investigate how collaborative relationships enhance continuous innovation in the supply chain using case studies., – The data were collected from semi‐structured interviews with 23 managers in ten case studies. The main intention was to comprehend how these firms engaged in collaborative relationships and their importance for successful innovation. The study adopted a qualitative approach to investigating these factors., – The findings demonstrate how differing relationships can impact on the operation of firms and their capacities to innovate. The ability to work together with partners has enabled firms to integrate and link operations for increased effectiveness as well as embark on both radical and incremental innovation., – The research into the initiatives and strategies for collaboration was essentially exploratory. A qualitative approach using case studies acknowledged that the responses from managers were difficult to quantify or gauge the extent of these factors., – The findings have shown various methods where firms integrated with customers and suppliers in the supply chain. This was evident in the views of managers across all the firms examined, supporting the importance of collaboration and efficient allocation of resources throughout the supply chain. They were able to set procedures in their dealings with partners, sharing knowledge and processes, and subsequently joint‐planning and investing with them for better operations, systems and processes in the supply chain., – The case studies serve as examples for managers in logistics organisation who are contemplating strategies and issues on collaborative relationships. The study provides important lessons on how such relationships can impact on the operation of firms and their capability to innovate.

There is a large body of knowledge on logistics and production control, including just‐in‐time (JIT) logistics. However, the applications specific to paper industry logistics are scarce and somewhat conflicting. Examines the potential contribution of alternative logistics systems in the paper industry and the scope for efficiency gains through the application of JIT logistics systems. Multiple case studies are used, with simulation for alternative business scenarios. The results indicate considerable scope for improvements in paper industry logistics, with many of the benefits deriving from JIT applications.

– Inter‐firm knowledge sharing and learning constitute one of the main avenues to improve supply chains' performance in today's business environment. This paper aims to examine how effective different governance mechanisms are in promoting knowledge transfer, learning and performance in supply chains., – Following on from the literature in inter‐organizational learning, transaction costs economics, business‐to‐business relational marketing, and supply chain management, a model is presented and tested using structural equations modeling. Data were collected from 219 Colombian apparel manufacturers., – This paper finds that from more influential to less, social mechanisms of governance, hostages and behavioral control favor knowledge sharing, learning and performance in supply chains. Output control exerts a negative influence on learning in supply chains., – Governance has a key role in promoting transparency and learning in supply chains. Future research should analyze whether it impacts on the firms' learning intent., – Knowledge sharing and learning have a positive influence on the supply chain's performance. Results of the study suggest that the supply chain's competitiveness lies in the adequate governance of the interfirm relationships, i.e. by using trust, hostages and behavioral control to support knowledge exchange., – Compared with studies that limit their analysis to the impact of one specific type of governance mechanism, generally trust, the paper for the first time jointly examines the role of several types of governance on knowledge‐sharing in supply chains, on learning and on performance. This allows a comparison of the different mechanisms in terms of their safeguarding and coordination role.

– There is a view that firms should decide between a lean or agile approach to supply management primarily on the basis of whether their product offering is “functional” (predictable demand, low variety and a long life cycle) or “innovative” (unpredictable demand, high variety and a short life cycle). This paper aims to present and test the proposition that this dichotomy is less useful in complex, one‐off project environments, such as shipbuilding or construction, because projects typically require the assembly of many different, largely functional, products in a unique or innovative configuration., – The paper reports a case study focusing on one of the supply chains serving a major UK shipyard. The case study data were gathered by means of semi‐structured face‐to‐face interviews with key personnel (procurement, sales, production, materials management and engineering/design) from each company within the defined supply chain., – The case study reveals that the design and build process used in the shipyard introduces radical unpredictability into the demand for “functional” components of naval vessels., – The paper raises important questions as to the conceptual robustness and the empirical generalisability of some of the extant literature on supply strategy selection. In particular, the case study suggests that a core assumption – that the demand for functional products is relatively predictable – is not sustainable in the context of project specific supply chains where the ultimate demand is generated by an active organisational buyer.

This paper describes a possible mechanism for the design and development of a software system that will become the de facto industry standard for the collation, location and dissemination of traceability data. Such a system must be capable of transcending national and regional boundaries. It must operate on a global scale and be available 24 hours a day seven days a week. It must be relevant to, and usable by, each member of the food supply chain whilst not generating any commercial objection on grounds of security, competitiveness or cost. The system proposed makes use of the continuing growth of personal computer usage, the declining cost of electronic communication, and the global nature of the Internet.

Speed of response to customer demand has long been recognized as a key attribute to business success since customer loyalty can be won or lost on product availability. With everyone implementing lean manufacturing philosophies, companies additionally need to become smart chain managers and ensure continuous improvement to stay competitive. Exploits further the concept of the “seamless supply chain”, by encouraging market place information to move through the supply chain with as little distortion as possible. The simulation model used to benchmark performance improvement is representative of both the MIT beer game and much experimental industrial practice. It is therefore realistic as an aid to the implementation of decision support systems (DSS). Presents the beneficial dynamic effects of enriching each supply chain member’s order decision with undistorted market sales. Concludes that tremendous benefits can result from adopting a holistic approach if the attitudinal problems associated with information sharing can be overcome.

– Organisations need to have a profound level of understanding of their supply chains if they are to successfully find sources of competitive advantage within them. Current methodologies for analysing supply chains, such as the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model, are not sufficiently comprehensive, particularly when it comes to understanding the complex social and political factors that are an integral part of any supply chain. This paper aims to use a case study of a supply chain from the public utility industry sector in Australia to develop an integrated framework for analysing supply chains within a multi‐disciplinary and multi‐method research paradigm., – The case study supply chain was mapped with the SCOR modelling tool which provided insights into the physical characteristics and value points along the supply chain., – Analysis of the SCOR model map also helped identify 31 key “actors” in the chain, who were then interviewed in depth. These interviews provided insights into the social and political factors which determined the supply chain performance., – The outcome of this study is a framework that provides two primary benefits. First, it shows the relationships between relevant variables from different disciplines (i.e. corporate governance, infrastructure, operations knowledge, social climate and innovation), and how they impact on performance. Second, the framework provides a way forward in synthesising multi‐disciplinary and multi‐method research into a coherent whole.

– Improving alignment between supply chain and new product development (NPD) can enhance market impact and revenue growth. Additionally, it can remove a lot of frustration for supply chain managers, who currently are often the last to find out about NPD, whereas their contribution is crucial when it comes to getting products to market on time and in the right volumes. Whereas a recent research note published in this journal offered possible avenues for progressing alignment between NPD and the supply chain, this paper seeks to offer insights from industry on how to actually achieve progress., – This paper offers insights from industry in three areas of practice and a report on the outcome of a workshop of supply chain executives., – The experience from case companies shows that companies are making progress in aligning NPD and the supply chain by improving basic alignment, improving supply chain readiness and leveraging supply chain capability to make NPD better., – In addition to case examples, a set of screening questions for supply chain managers to bring to alignment meetings with NPD are offered, supporting a growing supply chain contribution to NPD., – Following on from a research note published in this journal, this paper offers experiences from companies that have actually made progress with improving alignment as well as results from a focused workshop of senior supply chain executives. Together these findings can assist in making the path forward suggested in the research note a reality in practice.

Planning processes for the operations of entire supply chains require examination because business competition demands coherent strategies from them. Research into processes for strategic operations planning has defined the steps and procedures required. Some research has partially addressed planning processes for integrated supply chains. The present research begins to specify a process and investigate how a team of managers from the companies in a supply chain can be helped to formulate strategic plans for operating the whole chain, to benefit each company and to benefit the whole chain. Building on previous research, this theoretically‐based paper proposes a framework to enable such a process. This chain‐wide planning process is illustrated in an Australian meat processing supply chain, with encouraging results.