Conceptualizing the relative openness of supply chain and its impact on organizational performance

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 1264-1285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kamel A. Fantazy ◽  
Syed Awais Ahmad Tipu ◽  
Vinod Kumar

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework conceptualizing the relative openness of a supply chain and its impact on organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach – The literature on system theory and the attributes of supply chain management are used to develop a framework describing the relative openness of a supply chain. Findings – Different supply chain terminologies – such as adaptive supply chain network, best value supply chain, and open inter-organizational system – partially draw upon the basic premises of an open system. The relative openness of a supply chain and, consequently, the dynamics of different supply chain attributes remain understudied. This supports the idea that an open system perspective of the supply chain is imperative to improve the understanding of the influence of supply chain openness on organizational performance. Originality/value – The conceptual framework posits that different supply chain attributes affect the openness of supply chain to a varying degree which ultimately influences the organizational performance. The proposed framework and research propositions will serve as a springboard for conducting future empirical studies.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Forslund ◽  
Stig-Arne Mattsson

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify, characterize and assess supplier flexibility measurement practices in the order-to-delivery process.Design/methodology/approachThe study involved a survey; participants were 224 purchasing managers at Swedish manufacturing companies that had more than 20 employees.FindingsScrutiny of the details of measurement practices revealed that most respondents actually do not specifically measure supplier flexibility. Instead they measure other measures like delivery reliability, conduct qualitative follow-ups, or cannot specify how supplier flexibility is measured. It was acknowledged that they measure different supplier flexibility aspects, and the applied measures were characterized, e.g. in terms of which flexibility dimension they represent.Research limitations/implicationsConceptual clarifications and adaptations to measuring supplier flexibility in the order-to-delivery process are provided. The identified measures can be a contribution in further developing literature on flexibility performance measurement.Practical implicationsPurchasing, logistics and supply chain managers in search of supplier flexibility performance measurement can find ways to measure and an extended flexibility vocabulary. This has the potential to improve flexibility in the supply chain.Originality/valueEven though flexibility is claimed as being an important competitive advantage, few empirical studies and operationalized measures exist, particularly in the order-to-delivery process.


2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 9-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Denning

Purpose – This interview with author Paul Nunes discusses his theory that “Big Bang Disruption” is a new and critical threat to established businesses driven by large-scale, fast-paced innovation that can redraw global markets often before established players can react. Design/methodology/approach – The interview reviews the four phases of Big Bang Disruption. Nunes and his co-author Larry Downes believe that each phase has its own set of rules leaders need to learn to respond effectively. Findings – To defend against Big Bang Disruption, companies must strive to be the lowest-cost provider of all the elements of value the customer seeks, and be able to provide that value in a customer-intimate way. Practical implications – Marketing’s main function has shifted from selling to creating social consensus about what is “the best” value. Originality/value – Nunes’s startling conclusion: Every industry is now at risk. No industry will be left unscathed, no supply chain left unscrambled, no strategic plan left unraveled.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 119-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Vaux Halliday ◽  
Alexandra Astafyeva

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conceptualise millennial cultural consumers (MCCs) to bring together strands of consumer theory with branding theory to consider how to attract and retain younger audiences in arts organisations. Within that the authors single out for attention how “brand community” theory might apply to MCCs. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is a conceptual paper that reviews and comments on concepts relevant to helping arts organisations develop strategies to attract and retain younger consumers in their audiences. Findings – Thoughtful conceptual insights and four research propositions for further work by academics and/or practitioners on Millennials and the art and culture world are derived from this review and commentary. Managerial implications are also drawn out. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the knowledge development of such concepts as value and brand communities. It also provides an explanation of these concepts conncecting academic thought on value with pressing management challenges for arts organisations, suggesting ways to apply brand community thinking to innovatiely conceptualised MCCs.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 388-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Armando Marín-Idárraga ◽  
Juan Carlos Cuartas

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the effect of the co-alignment of structural variables on innovation, wherein Bogotá-based SMEs, belonging to the industrial, commercial and services sectors, were used as samples. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted using a causal inference methodology and through the application of a structural equation model. Findings The results indicate that organizational structure has an influence on innovation, although this is true only for some variables and only when the analysis is performed separately. When performed under strategic co-alignment conditions, however, its influence becomes greater. Originality/value Organizational structure and innovation are determining factors of organizational performance. Although the strategic co-alignment theory has provided points of reference to understanding the phenomenon of organizational performance, there are still many gaps left to be filled. Additionally, it also requires empirical validation especially in relation to Colombian SMEs – and this is where this work makes a contribution.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhavana Mathur ◽  
Sumit Gupta ◽  
Makhan Lal Meena ◽  
G.S. Dangayach

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the causal linkages among supply chain practices, effectiveness of supply chain performance (SCP) and organizational performance (OP) in Indian healthcare industries.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is helpful in developing a framework for linking a healthcare supply chain practice to its OP, and thus identifies how such a linkage can be connected to the effectiveness of SCP. Such effort also enables the authors to derive a set of recommended supply chain practices for SC performance.FindingsFrom the literature review, this paper finds that, in the context of Indian healthcare industries, efficient SC performance may play a critical role for overall OP improvement, as there is a close interrelationship between supply chain management (SCM) practices and SCP that may have a more significant effect on OP improvement.Research limitations/implicationsThe principle limitation of the paper is that it is performed only in a particular industry and with a questionnaire survey which could be extended in future for other industries also. Another limitation of the paper is that it is focused only on the SCP of medical device and equipment supply chain which is a small portion of the whole healthcare supply chain, and therefore requires further research covering various other domains of healthcare supply chain. Another limitation of the study is that the sample survey has been taken from only one respondent per company at one point of time which may create biasness in the results. Thus, future research should collect data through multiple members from the organization.Practical implicationsThis study contributes to know the effect of SCM practices on healthcare SCP and provides a practical and useful tool to evaluate the extent of effectiveness of SCP and finally their impact on the healthcare OP. Finally, this study provides conceptual and descriptive literature regarding SCM practices that leads to improvement in healthcare performance.Social implicationsThis study adds to the knowledge on healthcare SCM performance by exploring the relationship between supply chain practices, healthcare SCP and healthcare OP and by developing and testing a research framework thus help in improving patient satisfaction.Originality/valueThis study attempts to show how the potential benefits of supply chain practices can no longer be ignored in healthcare supply chain.


2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (12) ◽  
pp. 1688-1709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xun Li ◽  
Qun Wu ◽  
Clyde W. Holsapple

Purpose – Best-value supply chains characterized by agility, adaptability, and alignment, have become a crucial strategic means for firms to create and sustain competitive advantage in today’s turbulent environment. The purpose of this paper is to investigate linkage between best-value supply chains and firms’ competitive performance. Design/methodology/approach – In Study 1, survey data from 76 firms is used to test the impact of the three qualities of best-value supply chains on firms’ competitive performance. In Study 2, to test if a firm’s competitive advantage can be sustained through building best-value supply chains, a long-run performance analysis is conducted, which is based on a stock portfolio of firms identified from the American Marketing Association’s annual list of “Supply Chain Top 25.” Findings – The results of Study 1 indicate that the three qualities of best-value supply chains are positively related to firms’ competitive performance. The results of Study 2 show that firms having best-value supply chains generate significant and positive abnormal returns for shareholders over time. Originality/value – This is a multiple-method research, providing two-level empirical evidence to the investigation of theoretical linkage between best-value supply chains and firms’ competitive performance.


2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 577-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunjan Soni ◽  
Rambabu Kodali

Purpose – Several authors in extant literature have shown concern towards lacuna in availability of standard constructs in supply chain management (SCM). These standard constructs can represent pillars of SCM excellence. However, frameworks on SCM excellence unlike its contemporary fields are very few. Thus the purpose of this paper is to develop a path analysis for proposed framework of SCM excellence in Indian manufacturing industry proposed by Soni and Kodali (2014) using interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and structural equation modelling (SEM). Design/methodology/approach – The ISM is performed on two exemplary cases of supply chain in Indian manufacturing industry. These cases were selected on the consideration of supply chain excellence index (SCEI), based on the results of an empirical study conducted by Soni and Kodali (2014) in Indian manufacturing industry. The focal manufacturing company which exhibited lowest and highest SCEI were selected as contenders for developing ISM. The relationships among pillars and constructs of SCM excellence framework are obtained from ISM, and later are subjected to statistical testing of model fit by using SEM. The input to SEM was the respondent’s data used in previous study. Findings – The major findings revealed that ISM based on focal company having highest SCEI, is statistically fit for SCM excellence framework, and finally the structural models of the constructs for each pillar of SCM excellence are also formed by using path analysis. Originality/value – The study offers a unique managerial approach for analysing the underlying relationships between pillars of SCM excellence. Researchers can use this study for developing frameworks in various realms of SCM excellence.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shrikant Gorane ◽  
Ravi Kant

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically test a framework which identifies the relationships between various supply chain practices (SCPs) and organizational performance (operational performance (OP), customer satisfaction, and financial performance) in the context of Indian manufacturing organizations. Design/methodology/approach From the literature, ten SCPs are selected which finally influences the organizational performance. In order to understand the interactions between SCPs and organizational performance, this paper grouped the ten SCPs into four constructs namely: information and communication technology, supply chain (SC) integration, operational responsiveness, and closed loop green practices. Three levels of firm performance are also examined, including OP, customer satisfaction, and financial performance. The paper-based and web-based survey yielded 292 responses from the Indian manufacturing organizations. The data collected were put through rigorous statistical analysis to test for the content, construct, and criterion-related validity, as well as reliability analyses. Further a structural equation model was developed to test the relationships between SCPs and organizational performance. Findings The finding suggests that a successful SCPs implementation not only improves the OP, but also enhances customer satisfaction and financial performance. In addition, higher financial performance is also attributable to better customer value resulting from the achievement of better customer satisfaction. Research limitations/implications SCPs are complex constructs. While this study shows the effect of broadly accepted SCPs on organizational performance, not all possible practices are covered in this study. Again the study can be further extended to sector specific so that the results can be further refined. Practical implications This is one of the few studies which attempts to investigate whether there is any relationship exits between SCPs and organizational performance. The finding will help decision makers in the organization to know the importance of SCPs and how SCPs influence the organizational performance. Second, this study has developed and validated a multi-dimensional construct of SCPs, which can assist decision makers of Indian organizations to evaluate the competence of their current status of SCPs in the organization. Originality/value As per the knowledge of the authors, this is the first kind of study which empirically investigated the relationships between SCPs and organizational performance in the context of Indian manufacturing organizations.


2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 1158-1176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolaos Madenas ◽  
Ashutosh Tiwari ◽  
Christopher Turner ◽  
Sophie Peachey

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify measure and prioritise the perceived importance of supply chain issues within the automotive industry related to information flow during product development (PD). Design/methodology/approach – This study analyses empirical data captured from semi-structure interviews with 15 multinational companies operating in the automotive sector. Data collected are analysed using a standard methodology identified from the literature. The individual issues captured are classified against 14 clusters that represent the core and the fundamental supply chain issues of information flow. Findings – This study showed that half of the issues captured are related to the inadequate information systems used. The cluster that had the majority of individual issues is related to suppliers that are not directly connected with their customers through an enterprise system. However it was identified that two fundamental clusters justify the decision of not being directly connected. Implementing and maintaining multiple enterprise systems can be a big overhead for multinational companies working with a high number of customers. Originality/value – Although several studies have proved the benefits that can be obtained through supply chain collaboration, there are relatively little empirical studies that seek to explore the understanding of supply chain issues in regards to information flow especially during PD. By identifying, measuring and prioritising the importance of supply chain issues this study provides researchers and practitioners guidance in developing better tools and defining more efficient processes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 34-35

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings This research paper concentrates on the capacity of procurement digitalization to pump up supply chain effectiveness and competitive advantage levels. Data from the examination of the strategic actions of an environmental charity, an IT multinational, and an Australian SME reveal that increasing procurement effectiveness translates into marked performance enhancements in terms of productivity gains and reduced costs. Wiping away boundaries between buyers and suppliers produced procurement processes with greater scalability, agility, and flexibility, all of which also enhanced the firms' capability to mitigate their risks. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


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