Preventing supplier non-conformance: extending the agency theory perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-340
Author(s):  
Anton Shevchenko ◽  
Mark Pagell ◽  
Moren Lévesque ◽  
David Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Agency Theory ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Qualitative Case Studies ◽  
Effective Path

PurposeThe supply chain management literature and agency theory suggest that preventing supplier non-conformance—a supplier's failure to conform to the requirements of the buyer—requires monitoring supplier behavior. However, case studies collected to explore how buyers monitored suppliers revealed an unexpected empirical phenomenon. Some buyers believed they could prevent non-conformance by either trusting their suppliers or relying on a third party, without monitoring their behavior. The purpose of this article is to examine conditions when buyers should monitor supplier behavior to prevent non-conformance.Design/methodology/approachThis article employs a mixed-method design by formulating an agent-based simulation grounded in the case-study findings and agency theory to reconcile observed unexpected behaviors with scholarly suggestions.FindingsThe simulation results indicate that buyers facing severe consequences from non-conformance should opt to monitor supplier behavior. Sourcing from trusted suppliers should only be reserved for buyers that lack competence and have a small number of carefully selected suppliers. Moreover, buyers facing minor consequences from non-conformance should generally favor sourcing from trusted suppliers over monitoring their behavior. The results also suggest that having a third-party involved in monitoring suppliers is an effective path to preventing non-conformance.Originality/valueBy combining a simulation with qualitative case studies, this article examines whether buyers were making appropriate decisions, thereby offering contributions to theory and practice that would not have been possible using either methodological approach alone.

Introduction

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Daniel Roth
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Rabbinic Literature ◽  
Historical Accounts ◽  
Key Terms

This introductory chapter defines the key terms and methodology through which the book will be analyzed. It begins with defining “third-party peacemaking and Jewish “rabbinic literature.” Then lays out the flow and structure of the various chapters of the book. The chapter then defines the various types of case studies to be examined in the book, consisting of “legends,” “historical accounts,” and ‘stories.” Finally, the chapter concludes with defining the three-layered methodology through which each case study will be analyzed: “text,” “theory,” and ‘practice.”

scholarly journals Challenges in extending sustainability across a transport supply chain

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Forslund ◽  
Maria Björklund ◽  
Veronica Svensson Ülgen
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Agency Theory ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Information Asymmetries ◽  
Environmental Implications ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transport Supply

Purpose Sustainability approaches across product supply chains are well-known, while similar knowledge on transport supply chains (TSC) is limited. The purpose of this paper is to explore sustainability approaches and managerial challenges in extending sustainability across a TSC. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a case study of a TSC with a shipper, a third-party logistics firm and a hauler. Each actor’s views on sustainability-related communication and relations with other TSC actors are analyzed through the lens of agency theory. Findings Each dyad in the TSC reveals different, more or less collaboration-based approaches. Challenges are revealed, including the lack of shipper understanding for the TSC context and the use of immature contracts, which disincentivizes sustainability compliance. The multi-tier study object reveals the silencing of distant actors and the need for actors to take on mediating roles to bridge information asymmetries. Research limitations/implications Combining literature perspectives (relations, communication and agency theory) provides a deeper understanding of the approaches applied and identifies different challenges. The inclusion of agency theory reveals principal problems such as information asymmetries between agents and less-informed principals and suggests complementary labels of supply chain actors. Practical implications Practical contributions include the highlighting of managerial challenges, which can aid managers in extending sustainability across TCSs. Social implications The case study method offers insights into collaboratively improving sustainability in supply chains (such as using contracts), thus having social and environmental implications. Originality/value The paper narrows knowledge gaps about managing sustainability among logistics service providers and analyzes data from multi-tier actors.

Using the critical process targeting method to improve SMEs’ process understanding

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 425-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristy de Salas ◽  
Ian J. Lewis ◽  
Craig Huxley
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Context ◽  
Qualitative Case Studies ◽  
Process Understanding ◽  
Study Experience ◽  
Strategic Goals ◽  
Critical Process

Purpose Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) exhibit limited understanding of their business processes. This lack of understanding limits the potential of these businesses and is a direct contributor to the high failure rates of this sector of the economy. Research has suggested that existing BP methods to not support SMEs in gaining an improved understanding of their processes due to the high complexity and resource intensity of these tools, more suitable for deployment within a large business context. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This paper reports on two qualitative case studies of medium-sized financial entities that employ a new approach, the critical process targeting method (CPTM), to improve their understanding of their processes. Findings In reviewing these two case studies, the authors find that the CPTM can be considered a useful tool in improving process understanding in SMEs, and can lead to the achievement of strategic goals. This paper, however, also describes a number of practical limitations that were encountered when employing the CPTM within the SME context. Originality/value This new contribution to theory adds significant and critical support to academia and practice in business process understanding where current methods are found to be too resource heavy for even some large organisations. These two case studies have also provided support for struggling management teams being overwhelmed by the need to understand business processes within their organisations. Published literature and the case study experience both suggest that medium-sized entities have difficulty understanding their business processes.

Successful collaboration between smart city consortium and Hong Kong Government in Covid-19 dashboard: the case of leadership in practice

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Jung Yue Chun ◽  
Wahid Abdul Nabsiah ◽  
Cheng Ling Tan
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Smart City ◽  
Third Party ◽  
City Development ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Mass Collaboration ◽  
The Government

Purpose This paper aims to discover why such a public partnership project had been successful with a non-profit third-party alliance such as a smart city consortium (SCC) promoting smart city development. Design/methodology/approach This descriptive case study is primarily based on analysing data collected from various texts, public statements, media interviews and three semi-structured interviews with key members involved in the Covid-19 dashboard project. Findings The data and analysis reviews that both interpersonal and interorganisational trust, dedication and proactiveness of the leaders at SCC were major contributing factors to why SCC was able to partner with the Hong Kong Government in the Covid-19 dashboard in the first place and that the success was also a direct outcome of effective mass collaborative knowledge management activities. Research limitations/implications The research in leadership attributes and activities in the non-profit alliance has been few and this collaborative partnership between the alliance and the government is an example of the importance of further research in smart city leadership. Practical implications In deploying projects for mass collaboration and knowledge sharing in smart city development (which is multi-disciplinary in nature). there are still many new and evolving organisational practices and leadership matters that many business leaders and city managers can learn from. Social implications Smart city development projects involve the notion of sharing data in an open environment enabled by software and mediating tools. Successful projects such as this Hong Kong Covid-19 dashboard which serves a diverse audience can further promote the importance of an open data policy regime for the benefit of the public. Originality/value This case study covers a highly original and unique case study with the leaders at the SCC and representatives from the Hong Kong Government.

Using action research in innovation project management: building legitimacy and organizational learning in an SME during a merger process

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Constance Elizabeth Kampf ◽  
Charlotte J. Brandt ◽  
Christopher G. Kampf
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innovation Project

PurposeThe purpose is to explore how the process of action research (AR) can support building legitimacy and organizational learning in innovation project management and portfolio practices in merger contexts.Design/methodology/approachMeta-reflection on method issues in Action Research through an action research case study with an innovation group during an organizational change process. This case demonstrates an example of an action research cycle focused on building practitioner legitimacy rather than problem-solving.FindingsKey findings include (1) demonstrating how AR can be used for building legitimacy through visualizing the innovation process, and embedding those visuals in top management practices of the organization; and (2) demonstrating how AR can work as an organizational learning tool in merger contexts.Research limitations/implicationsThis study focuses on an action research cooperation during a two-and-a-half-year period. Thus, findings offer the depth of a medium term case study. The processes of building legitimacy represent this particular case, and can be investigated in other organizational contexts to see the extent to which these issues can be generalized.Practical implicationsFor researchers, this paper offers an additional type of AR cycle to consider in their research design which can be seen as demonstrating a form of interplay between practitioner action and organizational level legitimacy. For practitioners, this paper demonstrates a connection between legitimacy and organizational learning in innovation contexts. The discussion of how visuals were co-created and used for building legitimacy for an innovation process that differs from the standard stage gate model demonstrates how engaging in AR research can contribute to developing visuals as resources for building legitimacy and organizational learning based on connections between theory and practice.Originality/valueThis case rethinks AR practice for innovation project management contexts to include legitimacy and organizational learning. This focus on legitimacy building from organizational learning and knowledge conversion contributes to our understanding of the soft side of innovation project management. Legitimacy is demonstrated to be a key concern for innovation project management practices.

scholarly journals Processes for Ex-ante Evaluation of IT Projects - Case Studies in Brazilian Companies

10.28945/3025 ◽  
2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Jose Barbin Laurindo ◽  
Renato de Oliveira Moraes
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
It Projects ◽  
Evaluation Practices ◽  
Ex Ante ◽  
It Applications ◽  
Special Information

In the highly competitive nowadays markets, many companies actions assume the project form. In special, Information Technology (IT) projects assume great importance, enabling the dynamic actions that organisations need (Porter, 2001; Tapscott, 2001). However, IT applications assume different roles, from operational support to strategic, according to companies’ strategies and operations, besides the peculiarities of the industry in which they compete (McFarlan, 1984; Porter & Millar, 1985). According to this role (appraised by McFarlan’s Strategic Grid), ex-ante evaluation practices for selecting IT projects to be implemented can vary (Jiang & Klein, 1999). The objective of this paper is to analyse practices for selecting IT projects in Brazilian companies classified in different quadrants of the Strategic Grid and to observe any differences in ex-ante evaluation practices among them. The adopted methodological approach was qualitative research, more specifically case study (Claver, Gonzalez & Llopis, 2000; Yin, 1991) performed in four companies.

Civics education in Malaysia: a clash between ethics, religion and cultural norms

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vishalache Balakrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Digital Citizenship ◽  
Civics Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Research ◽  
Qualitative Approaches

PurposeTo showcase the importance of digital citizenship in the current era. This article compares the nine features of digital citizen provided by Ribble and Bailey (2007) with a case study conducted in a multicultural setting and identifies the tensions between ethics, religion and cultural norms in that environment.Design/methodology/approachA case study approach has been used in this research. Why case study? Because it is unique and provides in-depth, unique and invaluable findings. Case studies researchers have contributed to the development of case study research from diverse disciplines. Historical examples of case studies go back as far as the nineteenth century with the biography of Charles Darwin (Stewart, 2014). The dominance of positivism in science in the late 1940 and 1950s in social science sidelined qualitative approaches such as case studies. Although case study research was often criticized for its inability to support generalizations, and thus, provided limited validity and value as a research design (Merriam, 2009; Stewart, 2014), case study research provides intensive analysis of an issue. A Case study is intrinsic, instrumental and collective (Stake, 1995, 2006). Case study research encourages the detailed enquiry of a unit of analysis within its context.FindingsFindings show that current society needs to be educated on the nine aspects of digital citizenship. In the current era, changes are so rapid that every now and then, there must be collaboration and cooperation between different agencies to ensure that the tension between religiosity, cultural norms and ethics would be able to find some common ground. With more knowledge and wisdom on human rights, sustainability education and project-based learning in Civics Education, teachers, students, parents and community should often meet to decide on controversial issues and find ways to ensure that each one in society has the knowledge, skills and values for digital citizenship to grow and flourish.Originality/valueThe article is original in nature and has much social impact.

Warehouse configuration in omni-channel retailing: a multiple case study

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 509-533
Author(s):  
Joakim Hans Kembro ◽  
Andreas Norrman
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Conceptual Models ◽  
Construction Material ◽  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Consumer Electronics ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Automation Systems ◽  
Multiple Case

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore warehouse configuration in omni-channel retailing. Design/methodology/approach A multiple case study is conducted with six large omni-channel retailers from three different sectors. Findings The study shows an increase in the number, variation and frequency of flows passing through omni-channel warehouses. Along with an increased variety of stock keeping units (including singles vs multipacks), there is an increase in the complexity of planning and coordination of order fulfillment. Retailers test a mix of different solutions for storage and picking and partly shift focus to advanced sorting operations. The companies already have or plan to invest in substantial automation systems, which emphasize the importance of capturing and using accurate master data. Research limitations/implications The study highlights the need to understand the interrelations and co-development of configuration elements in omni-channel warehousing. The findings also suggest that a successful transformation requires increased collaboration with upstream and downstream partners. Conceptual models are developed to illustrate strategies and development paths in omni-channel warehousing, and suggestions for future research are summarized in a research agenda. A research limitation is the focus on Swedish retailers in three sectors (fashion, consumer electronics and DIY/construction material). Future studies can include additional sectors, extend the geographical scope and explore cross-regional differences. Practical implications As one of the few deeper case studies on omni-channel warehousing, practitioners will find new configurations described and analyzed here. Along with conceptual models, a synthesis of challenges and potential solutions are presented to support retailers’ practical analysis and decision making. Originality/value This is one of the first multiple case studies that go deeper into omni-channel warehouse configuration, which is of increasing importance to both scholars and practitioners in the field.

DIFFERENT TRAILS: ON THE MULTIPLE GENETIC ROOTS DETERMINING A DISTRIBUTED COMPOSITIONAL PROJECT

Tempo ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (290) ◽  
pp. 56-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
José L. Besada
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Creative Process ◽  
Contemporary Music ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Substantial Impact

AbstractAlthough it is a mistake to believe that the material traces left by a composer's practice can help us to properly reconstruct the creative process, compositional sketches may throw light on it. Nevertheless many such accounts take their respective case studies as isolated objects that are, unfortunately, sometimes decontextualised from the whole record of their authors. Ethnography potentially offers a better methodology and auto-ethnographic accounts, third party observations, and mixtures of these approaches have already been applied to contemporary music. This article aims to combine both these approaches in a discussion of a recent compositional project at IRCAM, carried out by a team of three people. I consider how the previous artistic experiences and achievements of these people, jointly and separately, have had a substantial impact on their shared project. In addition, as the case study had a scientific underpinning, I comment on the cognitive bridge that the composer had to build between scientific and musical conceptions.

Environmental education in libraries – theoretical foundations and practical implementation

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 279-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Fedorowicz-Kruszewska
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Education ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Professional Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Main Components ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explain the concepts related to environmental education in the context of sustainable development, to indicate the links between them as well as to identify and organize elements of library activities that have the potential to implement environmental education.Design/methodology/approachThe method of analysis and criticism of scientific and professional literature and research reports was used. The multiple case study method was also used.FindingsAn analysis of literature and multiple case studies confirms the assumption that sustainable development is now a new paradigm of librarianship. Among the goals of sustainable development are environmental goals, which in libraries can be achieved through environmental education. A broad approach to environmental education has been proposed, which is implemented not only by using library services but also by building green collections, contacts with environmentally involved librarians, using ecological library infrastructure, observing sustainable management methods in libraries, cooperation between the library and the external environment in terms of the natural environment.Research limitations/implicationsAn analysis of 20 case studies was carried out regarding the implementation of pro-environmental measures in libraries. Examination of a larger number of case studies would probably give a more complete picture of this area of activity in libraries. The next stage of research should be the development of standards/guidelines in the field of environmental education in libraries, and then the development of methods and techniques for assessing the quality of library activities in this area and methods for assessing the impact of libraries on society and the environment in the field of environmental education.Practical implicationsThe paper indicates – based on case study analyses – those library elements that have potential in the field of environmental education. They were ordered in categories that were assigned to the three main components of a library: people, artefacts and processes.Social implicationsSustainable development is a new library paradigm. The paper focuses on the environmental area, specifically environmental education. It has been recognized that libraries have considerable potential for environmental education and should be seen as socially responsible organizations that take responsibility for the impact of their decisions and actions on society and the environment.Originality/valueThe paper explains the basic concepts of environmental education and the relationships between them. It defines the area of environmental education in libraries in terms of library activity elements that can be used to organize them according to the three main components of a library, which are people, artefacts and processes. The paper also indicates that sustainable development should be treated as a new paradigm of librarianship, and environmental education as a new research field of library and information science.

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