An empirical examination of the relationship between globalization, integration and sustainable innovation within manufacturing networks

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 874-894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruggero Golini ◽  
Jury Gualandris
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Operations Management ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Sustainable Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Plants ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Manufacturing Networks ◽  
Plant Level ◽  
Manufacturing Network

Purpose While controlling for supply chain effects, the purpose of this paper is to investigate if globalization and collaborative integration within a firm-wide manufacturing network have significant implications for the adoption of sustainable production (SP) and sustainable sourcing (SS) practices at the plant level. Design/methodology/approach The authors conceptualize SP and SS as process innovations with moderate degrees of innovativeness and apply “Organizational integration and process innovation” theory to build our conceptual model. Then, the authors use primary survey data from 471 assembly manufacturing plants operating in the US, Europe and Asia to test our hypotheses rigorously. Findings This research finds that the adoption of SP practices at the plant level is significantly and positively associated with globalization and integration of the firm-wide manufacturing network. On the contrary, the adoption of SS practices is more strongly affected by integration in the external supply chain and benefits from the manufacturing network only indirectly, through the association with SP practices. Originality/value Operations management literature devoted to sustainability has studied sustainable practices mostly from a risk management angle. Also, there exists contrasting evidence in the operations strategy literature about the positive and negative effects that globalization of a manufacturing network may have on the adoption of sustainable practices at the plant level. Moreover, several studies show how integration with supply chain partners helps manufacturing plants transition into more SP and SS practices; however, related literatures have neglected that collaborative integration within a firm-wide manufacturing network may also help to develop, or adapt to, new sustainable practices. This research represents a first attempt to resolve discordance and unveil the positive effects that manufacturing networks may have on sustainable innovations at the plant level.

scholarly journals Supply chain integration within global manufacturing networks: a contingency flow-based view

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 334-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruggero Golini ◽  
Federico Caniato ◽  
Matteo Kalchschmidt
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Supply Chain Integration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Networks ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Plant Level ◽  
Manufacturing Network ◽  
Single Cluster

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse how the role of the plant in a manufacturing network (MN) affects the configurations of the flows of goods among plants, suppliers and customers and how these configurations, in turn, affect the extent of adoption and effectiveness of supply chain (SC) integration. Design/methodology/approach Three research questions are developed at the plant level and then tested using an international survey (IMSS 6) featuring 364 plants which are part of an intra-company MN from 18 countries. Findings Five configurations of flows of goods emerge from the analysis. These configurations appear to be related to the role of the plant in the network and to the effectiveness of SC integration practices, but not to their extent of adoption. Research limitations/implications Research limitations include the focus on specific industries (assembly industries) and limited size of the clusters which did not allow for a deep investigation of each single cluster. Originality/value The paper creates a bridge between two literature streams (MNs and SC management) by means of an innovative flow-based perspective that can help researchers and practitioners to disentangle the two interwoven perspectives.

Institutional explanations

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 1117-1140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virpi Turkulainen ◽  
Katri Kauppi ◽  
Emma Nermes
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Organizational Behavior ◽  
Operations Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Plants ◽  
Managerial Practices ◽  
Supplier Integration ◽  
Integration Mechanisms ◽  
Survey Sample

Purpose While classical operations strategy research argues that manufacturing organizations should be managed in line with the operational strategic priorities, recent studies have brought up potential institutional explanations for adoption of various managerial practices, including supply chain management practices. The key point in the institutional argument is that organizations are especially affected by other organizations; imitation and isomorphism are a critical part of organizational behavior. The purpose of this paper is to empirically test the institutional argument in explaining the use of supplier integration mechanisms – one of the focal management practices in today’s organizations. Design/methodology/approach The authors assess empirically the extent to which various economic institutional factors explain the use of supplier integration mechanisms in manufacturing plants with a multi-country and multi-industry survey sample. Findings The results indicate that institutional explanations play a significant role in explaining supplier integration. The findings suggest that further emphasis on building research around the institutional argument in various areas of supply chain and operations management is important. Originality/value As research on supply chain integration – including supplier integration – has focused on its performance implications, more research on the antecedents to integration is needed. This study provides a test of institutional theory as an antecedent to supplier integration.

Linking QFD and the manufacturing network strategy

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maike Scherrer ◽  
Patricia Deflorin
Keyword(s):  
Operations Management ◽  
Quality Function Deployment ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Single Case Study ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Manufacturing Networks ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
Manufacturing Network

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to integrate the manufacturing site and network perspectives for the purposes of strategy fulfilment, which has rarely been jointly discussed. By doing this, the site and network perspectives are broken into their constituents and linked to one another. Design/methodology/approach The paper provides qualitative research; it conducts a comprehensive literature review and merges the results with the concept of the quality function deployment to link the relevant dimensions. The developed framework is discussed based on a single case study. Findings The proposed framework relates the network and site perspectives in different dimensions, which range from the strategic dimension to the network and site dimensions. The paper, furthermore, offers the groundwork of developing relationship maps of the site and network capabilities, network configuration and coordination, and the structural and infrastructural dimensions. Research limitations/implications The paper contains a single case study and lacks foundation with a broader data set. Practical implications The results support the decision-making process of the manufacturing network managers who assess, design, and develop their manufacturing networks and attempt to gain transparency by using different levels of analysis. Originality/value The paper is the first attempt to show how the different network and site capabilities contribute to strategy fulfilment, to link the configuration and coordination dimensions of the manufacturing network level, and to link the structural and infrastructural dimensions on the site level. Thus, the authors add to multilevel research in operations management because the authors provide a combined framework for the network- and site-level analysis.

An empirical examination of firm financial performance along dimensions of supply chain resilience

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 254-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xun Li ◽  
Qun Wu ◽  
Clyde W. Holsapple ◽  
Thomas Goldsby
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Supply Chain Resilience ◽  
Critical Dimensions ◽  
Firm Financial Performance ◽  
Supply Chain Agility ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of three critical dimensions of supply chain resilience, supply chain preparedness, supply chain alertness and supply chain agility, all aimed at increasing a firm’s financial outcomes. In a turbulent environment, firms require resilience in their supply chains to prepare for potential changes, detect changes and respond to actual changes, thus providing superior value. Design/methodology/approach Using survey data from 77 firms, this study develops scales for preparedness, alertness and agility. It then tests their hypothesized relationships with a firm’s financial performance. Findings The results reveal that the three dimensions of supply chain resilience (i.e. preparedness, alertness and agility) significantly impact a firm’s financial performance. It is also found that supply chain preparedness, as a proactive resilience capability, has a greater influence on a firm’s financial performance than the reactive capabilities including alertness and agility, suggesting that firms should pay more attention to proactive approaches for building supply chain resilience. Originality/value First, this study develops a comparatively comprehensive definition for supply chain resilience and explores its dimensionality. Second, this study provides empirically validated instruments for the dimensions of supply chain resilience. Third, this study is one of the first to provide empirical evidence for direct impact of supply chain resilience dimensions on a firm’s financial performance.

Market orientation, innovation commercialization capability and firm performance relationships: the moderating role of supply chain influence

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 913-924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeen-Su Lim ◽  
William K. Darley ◽  
David Marion
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Market Orientation ◽  
Innovation Management ◽  
Strategy Formulation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose The study aims to explore supply chain influence (SCI) on the linkages among market orientation, innovation capabilities and firm performance (FP), using the resource-based view as a theoretical backdrop. Design Survey data from 182 top managers who are involved in strategy formulation and innovative direction of their companies was collected and analyzed using moderated multiple regression analysis. Findings Results revealed a moderating role of the SCI in that the proactive market orientation (PMO) and FP relationship is stronger when SCI is high, and innovation commercialization capability (ICC) and FP relationship is stronger when SCI is low. Practical implications Firms pursuing high PMO strategy must collaborate with supply chain function to achieve the full effect of PMO. Additionally, as supply chain is critical to meeting customers’ needs, these firms should allow supply chain to exert greater influence to enjoy the positive effects of PMO in addition to ensuring full integration into marketing strategy implementation. Also, firms with high ICC need to limit SCI to maximize the benefit of ICC on FP, just as innovation management needs to be cognizant of other functional areas. Originality/value The study investigates the potential moderating role of SCI on the relationships among market orientation, ICC and FP. The study fills a gap in the understanding of the nature and role of supply chain in the marketing–supply chain interaction, and the impact on FP.

Collaborative firms managing perishable products in a complex supply network: an empirical analysis of performance

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Carlos Pérez Mesa ◽  
Emilio Galdeano-Gómez
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Perishable Products ◽  
Supply Network ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sales Channels ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Supplier Relationship

Purpose – This purpose of this study is to provide empirical evidence of how cooperation is related to suppliers’ performance, a relationship that is thought to be affected by the type of customer and the extent to which the market is diversified. It analyzes horticultural exporting firms in southeastern Spain, which are the main suppliers of European markets. Together with their primary customers (large-scale retail companies such as Carrefour, Tesco and Aldi), these firms constitute a complex supply network composed of a variety of agents and sales channels. This network will be studied from the perspective of the supplier–supplier relationship that is critical to their survival. Design/methodology/approach – Starting with a detailed description of Europe’s vegetable supply chain, a hierarchical regression is used with an index of cooperation intensity, moderated by retail sales and market concentration. The authors test the hypotheses using panel data on a set of 118 horticultural marketing firms in southeast Spain for the period 2009-2011. Findings – Cooperation strategies are shown to have positive effects on performance (market creation, promotion, quality, training, joint supply purchases and research ventures). Moreover, the retail channel and market diversification are observed to have a positive effect on the relationship between cooperation and the supplier’s performance. They demonstrate that active cooperation strategies have a greater bearing on performance in those firms whose primary customers are retailers. This circumstance provides evidence of the synergies and benefits that may arise when the supplier integrates the retailer in the supply chain, but which do not arise with other types of customers. Research limitations/implications – Although this study refers to a specific sector (fruits and vegetables) and the statistical results are limited, they provide insights that may assist in understanding how other perishable produce-related industries work: such industries share many common features. Practical implications – A more stable relationship between suppliers and retailers in the perishable produce market will render the supply firm more cooperative, competitive and profitable. Increased performance does not arise from the better conditions and improved sales power offered by the customer but instead from the adaptability of the supplier. Likewise, market diversification drives the supply firm toward a cooperative strategy, making it more profitable and competitive. As a practical norm, market diversification alone will not have positive results on performance unless the firm proves capable of enhancing its capacity for cooperation. Social implications – Proper management of the agricultural produce supply chain has repercussions on all of the members of that chain, although special emphasis should be placed on producers and consumers. The availability of food, its quality and its safety depend on management during the production phase. Along these lines, and more specifically for the consumer, this work is relevant because the sector analyzed accounts for 40 per cent of the vegetables consumed in Europe. Originality/value – This article defends the supplier–supplier relationship as the starting point for the analysis of a supply network. In certain sectors, the suppliers’ ability both to solve their clients’ problems and to be profitable is conditioned on maintaining the network and, therefore, the basic focus must center on analyzing their relationships, always including the customer, who has a direct or indirect influence on those relationships. Previous research has not comprehensively addressed this issue, let alone that of a sector with agile and perishable products in which, due to its nature, decision-making about market destinations and sales channels is the order of the day.

Multiple temporal perspectives extend sustainable competitiveness

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 1600-1624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Klassen ◽  
Sara Hajmohammad
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Operations Management ◽  
Process Time ◽  
Temporal Orientation ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Short Termism

Purpose In operations and supply chain management, time is largely one-dimensional – less is better – with much effort devoted to compressing, efficiently using, and competitively exploiting clock-time. However, by drawing on other literatures, the purpose of this paper is to understand implications for the field of operations management if we also emphasize how humans and organizations experience time, termed process-time, which is chronicled by events and stages of change. Design/methodology/approach After a brief review, the limitations of the recurrent time-oriented themes in operations management and the resulting short-termism are summarized. Next, sustainability is offered as an important starting point to explore the concept of temporality, including both clock- and process-time, as well as the implications of temporal orientation and temporal conflict in supply chains. Findings A framework that includes both management and stakeholder behavior is offered to illustrate how multiple temporal perspectives might be leveraged as a basis for an expanded and enriched understanding of more sustainable competitiveness in operations. Social implications Research by others emphasizes the importance of stakeholders to competitiveness. By recognizing that different stakeholder groups have varying temporal orientations and temporality, managers can establish objectives and systems that better reflect time-based diversity and diffuse temporal conflict. Originality/value This paper summarizes how time has been incorporated in operations management, as well as the challenges of short-termism. Sustainability forms the basis for exploring multiple perspectives of time and three key constructs: temporal orientation, temporality, and temporal conflict. A framework is proposed to better incorporate temporal perspectives as a basis for competitiveness in operations and supply chain management.

Lean resilience: AURA (Active Usage of Resilience Assets) framework for post-COVID-19 supply chain management

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dmitry Ivanov
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Operations Management ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Supply Chain Resilience ◽  
Resilience Capabilities

PurposeSupply chain resilience capabilities are usually considered in light of some anticipated events and are as passive assets, which are “waiting” for use in case of an emergency. This, however, can be inefficient. Moreover, the current COVID-19 pandemic has revealed difficulties in the timely deployments of resilience assets and their utilization for value creation. We present a framework that consolidates different angles of efficient resilience and renders utilization of resilience capabilities for creation of value.Design/methodology/approachWe conceptualise the design of the AURA (Active Usage of Resilience Assets) framework for post-COVID-19 supply chain management through collating the extant literature on value creation-oriented resilience and practical examples and complementing our analysis with a discussion of practical implementations.FindingsBuilding upon and integrating the existing frameworks of VSC (Viable Supply Chain), RSC (Reconfigurable Supply Chain) and LCNSC (Low-Certainty-Need Supply Chain), we elaborate on a new idea in the AURA approach – to consider resilience as an inherent, active and value-creating component of operations management decisions, rather than as a passive “shield” to protect against rare, severe events. We identify 10 future research areas for lean resilience integrating management and digital platforms and technology.Practical implicationsThe outcomes of our study can be used by supply chain and operations managers to improve the efficiency and effectiveness by turning resilience from passive, cost-driving assets into a value-creating, inclusive decision-making paradigm.Originality/valueWe propose a novel approach to bring more dynamics to the notion of supply chain resilience. We name our approach AURA and articulate its two major advantages as follows: (1) reduction of disruption prediction efforts and (2) value creation from resilience assets. We offer a discussion on ten future research directions towards a lean resilience.

The relationship between internal supply chain structure and operational performance: survey results from Japanese manufacturers

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikihisa Nakano ◽  
Kazuki Matsuyama
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Structural Properties ◽  
Operations Management ◽  
Chain Structure ◽  
Operational Performance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Supply Chain Structure ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the roles of a supply chain management (SCM) department. To achieve that, this study empirically examines the relationship between internal supply chain structure and operational performance, using survey data collected from 108 Japanese manufacturers. Design/methodology/approach Based on a literature review of not only organizational theory but also other fields such as marketing, logistics management, operations management and SCM, this study focused on two structural properties, formalization and centralization and divided operational performance to firm-centric efficiency and customer-centric responsiveness. To examine the analytical model using these dimensions, this study conducted a structural equation modeling. Findings The correlation between centralization of operational tasks and centralization of strategic tasks, the impacts of centralization of both tasks on formalization and the effect of formalization on responsiveness performance were demonstrated. In addition, the reasons for formalization not positively influencing efficiency performance were explored through follow-up interviews. Practical implications Manufacturers need to formalize, as much as possible, a wide range of SCM tasks to realize operational excellence. To establish such formalized working methods, it is effective to centralize the authorities of both operational and strategic tasks in a particular department. In addition, inefficiency due to strict logistics service levels is a problem that all players involved in the supply chain of various industries should work together to solve. Originality/value The theoretical contribution of this study is that the authors established an empirical process that redefined the constructs of formalization and centralization, developed these measures and examined the impacts of these structural properties on operational performance.

Sustainability topic trends in the textile and apparel industry: a text mining-based magazine article analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jitong Li ◽  
Karen K. Leonas
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Text Mining ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Apparel Industry ◽  
Sustainable Supply Chain ◽  
Sustainable Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Textile And Apparel ◽  
Textile And Apparel Industry

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to (1) identify the sustainable practices developed by the textile and apparel industry and (2) investigate the gaps and opportunities in the sustainability implementation process by quantitively analyzing the sustainability topics and the relevant topic trends.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed text mining techniques. A total of 1,168 relevant magazine articles published from 2013 to 2020 were collected and then categorized according to their tones. In total, 36 topics were identified by reviewing the sustainability issues in the industry. The frequency of each topic mentioned in the articles and the correlation coefficients between topics' frequencies and published time were calculated. The results were used to examine if the three sustainability dimensions (environment, society, economy) were equally addressed and identify opportunities in the sustainability implementation process.FindingsThere were much fewer social and economic topics than environmental topics discussed in the articles. Additionally, there were not enough practices developed to reduce microfiber pollution, improve consumers' knowledge of sustainability, offset the carbon footprint, build a transparent, sustainable supply chain and avoid animal cruelty.Originality/valueThere is a lack of research focusing on the whole supply chain and sustainability when investigating sustainable practices and topic trends. This study fills a part of the gap. The results can be used by industrialists to identify sustainable practice opportunities and better manage their sustainable supply chains. Researchers can utilize the results to compare the topics in the industry with the topics studied in academia.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document