scholarly journals Celebrating IJPDLM's 50th anniversary: a reflection on its contributions and future directions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chee Yew Wong
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
50Th Anniversary ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Historical Reflection

PurposeThis article celebrates the 50th anniversary of IJPDLM, reflects on the contribution of IJPDLM to the field of logistics and supply chain management (LSCM) and discusses future directions for the journal.Design/methodology/approachDescriptive analysis of manuscripts received and accepted by IJPDLM during 2015–2019 is used to provide an overview of the journal. Content analysis of selected articles is used to highlight important contributions of the journal. Changes made since 2020 are highlighted to inform future directions of IJPDLM. Invited articles are discussed and used to clarify future directions.FindingsIJPDLM has made tremendous progress in informing and shaping the field of LSCM. Key issues addressed include sustainability and reverse logistics, omni-channel, e-commerce, retail logistics, risk, resilience, volatility, and complexity and digital technology innovation. The journal has expanded the use of methods beyond the typical qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the use of design science, experiment, conjoint analysis, qualitative comparative analysis, narrative analysis. The invited articles provide (1) a historical reflection of the purpose of the journal when it was launched, (2) new guidance on how to develop theories using literature review and grounded theories and (3) understanding of startups and supply chain ecosystems.Practical implicationsSome exemplar articles are highlighted to explain how IJPDLM informs LSCM managers, companies and policy makers.Originality/valueThis article explains the recent development and sets future directions for the LSCM field.

Logistics service quality and customer satisfaction in B2B relationships: a qualitative comparative analysis approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Gaudenzi ◽  
Ilenia Confente ◽  
Ivan Russo
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Logistics Service ◽  
B2b Relationships ◽  
Logistics Service Quality

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the logistics service quality (LSQ) from a supply chain quality perspective. The purpose is twofold: (1) to investigate how business customers perceive the LSQ dimensions in business-to-business (B2B) relationships, with a particular focus on the role of logistics service providers and (2) to analyse the manner in which such dimensions, when combined, lead to high levels of customer satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachData collected through a survey of a sample of Italian food companies are analysed using a qualitative comparative analysis approach. The analysis explores ways of achieving customer satisfaction through different combinations of LSQ dimensions and not only via a “single recipe,” as in most symmetrical methods.FindingsThe study describes how seven dimensions of LSQ lead to achieve customer satisfaction, particularly highlighting and discussing how the different LSQ constructs lead to gain high customer satisfaction via different configurations. This approach is unique in identifying not only linear relationships among variables as traditional statistical methods do, via a configurational approach.Research limitations/implicationsMost academic studies in the related literature investigate service quality from a quality management and a supply chain management perspective. This study fills the existing gap in the analysis of B2B relationships, focusing on the role of third-party logistics (3PL) service providers.Practical implicationsThe study presents useful implications for practitioners, describing several ways in which 3PL service providers can combine LSQ dimensions to perform a continuous improvement of customer experience and to gain higher levels of customer satisfaction.Originality/valueThis study fills the existing gap in the analysis of B2B relationships, using the lens of quality management and supply chain management perspectives, and focusing on the role of 3PL service providers.

scholarly journals Towards a theory of supply chain alignment enablers: a systematic literature review

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chee Wong ◽  
Heather Skipworth ◽  
Janet Godsell ◽  
Nemile Achimugu
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Customer Value ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Performance Measurement System ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Relative Significance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Chain Alignment

PurposeThe importance of supply chain alignment has been discussed since the birth of supply chain management (SCM). Yet it remains a major challenge for supply chains. This paper aims to systematically review the cross disciplinary literature on supply chain alignment in order to identify, and develop constructs for enablers to alignment, and an associated set of hypotheses.Design/methodology/approachA systematic approach has been taken to the literature review, which ensures it is auditable and repeatable. The selection criteria are clearly aligned with the review question ensuring all literature pertinent to the question is identified and reviewed. Relevant information is extracted from the selected papers and synthesised into a set of hypotheses.FindingsSix main constructs for the enablers of alignment are identified and defined: organisational structure, internal relational behaviour, customer relational behaviour, top management support, information sharing and business performance measurement system. While the literature is disparate, across different disciplines there is good support for these enablers. The relationships between supply chain alignment and shareholder and customer value are also argued with the support of the literature. Although each of the enablers is argued to positively affect shareholder and customer value, their interactions with one another are not well supported in the literature, either theoretically or empirically, and therefore this could be an area for further research.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the hypotheses remain theoretical, it is now possible to test them and understand the relative significance of the various enablers to alignment.Practical implicationsThe significance of shareholder and customer alignment on the delivery of shareholder and customer value can be examined, thus moving towards a theory of supply chain alignment. This is needed since in practice companies are struggling with supply chain alignment.Originality/valueThe existing literature on supply chain alignment is disparate and multi‐disciplinary as this descriptive analysis shows, with 72 papers published in 43 different journals. Moreover, most of the papers focus on particular enablers, while this paper brings together six key enablers from the literature to produce a set of hypotheses.

scholarly journals A roadmap for applying qualitative comparative analysis in supply chain research

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Russo ◽  
Ilenia Confente ◽  
David Gligor ◽  
Nicola Cobelli
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Reverse Supply Chain ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to the field of supply chain management and provide a detailed roadmap that supply chain researchers can utilize when applying this methodology.Design/methodology/approachData collection focused on the evaluation of product returns management practices as perceived by business customers who operate in a supplier–customer context. In order to analyze the data using the QCA approach, a multi-step analysis was developed.FindingsThe results indicate five solutions that lead to high levels of customer satisfaction. The existence of multiple sufficient configurations for customer satisfaction indicates equifinality because multiple alternative solutions can lead to the same outcome.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors make a methodological contribution by applying the QCA method to the field of supply chain management and providing a detailed roadmap that supply chain researchers can utilize.Practical implicationsThe authors provide managers five different and novel combinations of antecedents that lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction.Originality/valueThis study offers supply chain researchers a better understanding of when it is appropriate to use QCA and how to apply this methodology. From a theoretical perspective, past studies focused exclusively on the “net effects” of these antecedents, thus, did not capture the complexity of the relationships between these various antecedents and customer satisfaction. This is a noteworthy contribution as it highlights the complexity of the amalgam of relationships and factors that impact customer satisfaction within the context of reverse supply chain.

The triple-a supply chain and strategic resources: developing competitive advantage

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-190
Author(s):  
David Gligor ◽  
Javad Feizabadi ◽  
Ivan Russo ◽  
Michael J. Maloni ◽  
Thomas J. Goldsby
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Market Orientation ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Sustainable Competitive Advantage ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Chain Orientation ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Supply Chain Orientation

PurposeScholars have recently begun to empirically evaluate the triple-A supply chain, which emphasizes concurrent capabilities in agility, adaptability and alignment across the supply chain to develop sustainable competitive advantage. Complexity theory suggests however that other combinations of triple-A capabilities may be equally effective, especially given a firm's strategic orientation relative to its market and its supply chain. Our research objective was to examine what combinations of these capabilities lead to the same outcome (i.e. high firm performance).Design/methodology/approachWe collected 182 survey responses from a global sample of supply chain managers. Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) was employed to assess effective recipes of agility, adaptability, alignment, supply chain orientation, and market orientation.FindingsOur results revealed four distinct “recipes” (i.e. combinations of agility, adaptability, alignment, supply chain orientation and market orientation) that lead to high levels of firm performance.Originality/valueOur results indicate that firms currently do not necessarily have to concomitantly develop capabilities across all triple-A components. Considering the costs associated with developing each of these capabilities, the findings allow us to derive several theoretical and managerial insights.

Empirical behavioral analysis of project contractors' supply‐chain payment terms

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Long Chen
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Study Approach

PurposeResearchers in supply chain (SC) payment management have long sought to understand how project contractors, project owners, specialist contractors, and suppliers behave in the context of negotiating payment terms that improve contractors' SC cash flow.Design/methodology/approachUsing a single case study approach, semi‐structured interviews with contract and project managers identify behavioral patterns. An analysis of categorical experiments and Spearman's correlation tests on 118 surveys from Taiwanese project contracting corporations generalizes the case findings.FindingsThe findings suggest that payment terms of project owners, specialists, and suppliers have an important impact on contractors' working capital. The findings also reveal that contractors pass project owners' payment terms down to specialists and suppliers, suggesting that contractors' behavior depends on that of the project owners.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper generalizes the case findings via surveys, but does not assume that the reported behavior patterns apply to all business enterprises. Future research could triangulate the findings.Originality/valueThis study combines qualitative and quantitative methods to understand how the project owner‐contractor‐supplier (or owner‐contractor‐specialist) triad behaves. Particularly, it focuses on an economic sector – real estate and construction – that receives less research interest than processing or manufacturing.

scholarly journals Environmental performance measurement for green supply chains

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 765-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Tuni ◽  
Athanasios Rentizelas ◽  
Alex Duffy
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Measurement Model ◽  
Environmental Aspects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmental Performance Measurement

Purpose The majority of the environmental impacts in a typical supply chain can arise beyond the focal firm boundaries. However, no standardised method to quantify these impacts at the supply chain level currently exists. The purpose of this paper is to identify the quantitative methods developed to measure the environmental performance of supply chains and evaluate their key features. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review is conducted at the intersection of performance measurement and green supply chain management (GSCM) fields, covering 78 publications in peer-reviewed academic journals. The literature is reviewed according to several perspectives, including the environmental aspects considered, the main purpose of measurement, model types and the extent of supply chain covered by performance measurements. Findings Adopted environmental metrics show a low degree of standardisation and focus on natural resources, energy and emissions to air. The visibility and traceability of environmental aspects are still limited; the assessment of environmental impacts does not span in most cases beyond the direct business partners of the focal firms. A trade-off was observed between the range of environmental aspects and the extent of the supply chain considered with no method suitable for a holistic evaluation of the environmental supply chain performance identified. Three major streams of research developing in the field are identified, based on different scope. Originality/value This paper is the first attempt to examine in detail what tiers of the supply chain are actually involved in green performance assessment, ultimately contributing to clarify the scope of the supply chain dimension in GSCM performance measurement research. The work also recognises which methods are applicable to extended supply chains and explores how different methodologies perform in terms of supply chain extent covered.

scholarly journals Extending the supply chain visibility boundary

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Busse ◽  
Martin C. Schleper ◽  
Jenny Weilenmann ◽  
Stephan M. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Field Testing ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Science Approach ◽  
Stakeholder Network ◽  
Corporate Practice

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how buying firms facing low supply chain visibility can utilize their stakeholder network to identify salient supply chain sustainability risks (SCSR). Design/methodology/approach The study employs a design science approach to develop a procedural model for identifying SCSR as a new artifact. A small-scale field-testing study in a food supply chain of a Swiss retail firm demonstrates its applicability and pragmatic validity. Findings When stakeholder knowledge external to the supply chain is regarded as a valuable resource, a generic understanding of a buying firm’s supply chain suffices to identify SCSR hotspots without creating complexity for the SCSR management. Research limitations/implications The paper contributes to the study of SCSR by identifying mechanisms buying firms can employ to identify SCSR hotspots and fostering the nascent understanding of responsibility attribution by stakeholders. Moreover, the emerging theory of the supply chain is enriched by paving a way to extend the supply chain visibility boundary. The procedural model is presumably most useful in contexts of elevated stakeholder pressure and low supply chain visibility. Future research should seek to validate and improve the effectiveness of the newly designed artifact. Practical implications The procedural model is directly applicable in corporate practice to the identification of SCSR. Moreover, its application fosters the understanding of a firm’s supply chain and its stakeholder network. Originality/value SCSR is an increasingly important phenomenon in corporate practice that has received only scarce research attention. The design science approach represents a valuable means for generating theoretical insights and emergent solutions to the real-world problem of SCSR identification.

Minimizing the ripple effect caused by operational risks in a make-to-order supply chain

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 381-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry Xu
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Original Position ◽  
Ripple Effect ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Operational Risks ◽  
Make To Order ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis paper aims to introduce a web-based pilot system for minimizing the ripple effect (i.e. spreading of the negative impact of an exceptional event along the supply chain from its original position) caused by operational risks in the context of make-to-order supply chains.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs a design science research methodology, which covers three major stages: system requirements identification, business process design and the implementation and evaluation of a web-based pilot system.FindingsThe developed system has the potential to significantly reduce the negative impact of the ripple effect caused by operational risks in a make-to-order supply chain in terms of material shortages, late deliveries and subsequent additional costs associated with expediting measures when a customer order is running late.Research limitations/implicationsThe system presented in this paper is a prototype that needs to be further developed and tested in the future.Practical implicationsThis paper provides integrated business processes and useful guidelines for supply chain managers and information system developers in dealing with the ripple effect in the supply chain.Originality/valueIn contrast to prior studies that have focused on investigating the impact of the ripple effect on the supply chain caused by natural or man-made disasters, this research attempts to offer a novel approach to address the research problem (i.e. the ripple effect caused by operational risks such as delays) directly from the design science perspective.

scholarly journals The impact of market orientation on innovativeness: evidence from Yemeni SMEs

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wail Alhakimi ◽  
Mohammed Mahmoud
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Market Orientation ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Customer Orientation ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of market orientation on small and medium-sizedenterprises (SMEs) innovativeness in Yemen. Design/methodology/approach The study uses empirical data collected from 206 managers, owners and operators of SME in Sana'a. By using exploratory and quantitative methods, the collected data was examined using descriptive, correlation and regression analyses. Findings The results indicated that market orientation, as a whole, has a significant impact on SME innovativeness. Specifically, while the two dimensions – customer orientation and supplier orientation – have a significant impact on SME innovativeness, the other two dimensions – competitor and inter-functional coordination – do not have a significant impact on SME innovativeness. Research limitations/implications The study focuses only on four factors that have an influence over SME innovativeness based on the perspective of managers. Practical implications SMEs represent the largest portion of businesses in Yemen’s private sector. It is anticipated that the findings of this study will help SMEs’ owners and managers to better understand market orientation and the significant impact it has on SME innovativeness. Originality/value The value of this research work is evident from the fact that the market orientation models have neglected the part of suppliers (upstream supply chain) in generating superior value for customers, even though they have concentrated on the role of customers (downstream supply chain) and competitors.

Development of an Industry 4.0 maturity model for the delivery process in supply chains

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 840-883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Björn Asdecker ◽  
Vanessa Felch
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Reference Model ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Maturity Model ◽  
Maturity Models ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Status

Purpose This paper aims to show that current Industry 4.0 maturity models primarily focus on manufacturing processes. Until now, research has been lacking with regard to outbound logistics, that is, the delivery process. This paper develops such a model. Design/methodology/approach Methodologically, this paper is grounded in design science research (DSR) and rigorously follows the model development guidelines presented by De Bruin et al. (2005). This work builds on current maturity models and original empirical research to populate and test the model. Findings The model appears to be applicable to describing the status quo of the digitization efforts in outbound logistics, developing a corporate vision for delivery logistics excellence and providing guidance on the development path. Research limitations/implications Thus far, the model has been applied only for a development stakeholder. For further validation, the authors are currently working on additional case studies to demonstrate the model’s applicability. Practical implications The developed model provides guidance for the digitization of an important value-adding activity in supply chain management: the delivery process. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, the proposed model is the first to explicitly consider the delivery process; therefore, it complements available approaches that focus on the manufacturing process. Moreover, the results show that the widely used Supply Chain Operations Reference model can serve as the basis for additional process maturity models.

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