Dissolving the paradox: toward a Yin–Yang perspective on the power and trust antagonism in collaborative business relationships

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 573-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Horak ◽  
Chris P. Long

PurposeBy challenging the typical antagonistic view of the informal institutions power and trust, this paper aims to explore the interrelatedness of the two through the Yin–Yang lens.Design/methodology/approachThe data for this research stem from extensive group and one-to-one interviews with Toyota and its domestic and international suppliers.FindingsContrary to the conventional antagonistic view of power and trust, the study finds a different relationship between power and trust in Japan, namely, a rather natural, mutually integrative and dependent one. The paper assumes that Taoist ideals, in particular the forces of Yin–Yang, explain this apparent contradiction.Practical implicationsGuided by the Yin–Yang perspective on power and trust balancing, the study proposes six management paradigms regarding how power and trust relationships can be developed and managed to increase collaboration performance.Originality/valueWhile this research contributes to the research stream considering power and trust as complements rather than substitutes, it introduces the Yin–Yang view of business collaboration into the field of supply chain management in the automotive industry. Furthermore, it proposes practical measurements for the management of collaborative business relationships in a supply chain by taking advantage of the Yin–Yang view of putative contradictions.

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1105-1134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Everton Drohomeretski ◽  
Sergio Gouvea da Costa ◽  
Edson Pinheiro de Lima

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the main motivating factors and difficulties in implementing GSCM; and to describe and explain how GSCM is being adopted in the Brazilian automotive industry. Design/methodology/approach – To meet the proposed objectives three case studies will be carried out in a Brazilian automotive industry, performing a total of 13 interviews, based on a research protocol. As the data collection instrument, a semi-structured interview was used based on a pre-established script, direct observation and documents from the organization researched. For the analysis of the results, the content analysis method was used, applying a triangle analysis to the research data with the patterns presented in the theoretical reference. Findings – The paper orients the companies in the automotive sector to adopt GSCM practices and principally that internal actions of automakers can be transferred throughout the supply chain. Practical implications – Contributes in a more practical so that companies evaluate the level of application of their GSCM practices such that they may take more corrective actions to increase the level of GSCM practices. Originality/value – Proposition of one classification system to identify the level of adoption of GSCM practices.


2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1472-1499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Garrido Azevedo ◽  
Helena Carvalho ◽  
V. Cruz-Machado

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to suggest a lean, agile, resilient, and green (LARG) index as a benchmarking tool to assess the leanness, agility, resilience and the greenness of the automotive companies and corresponding supply chain (SC). Design/methodology/approach – The proposed index incorporates LARG supply chain management paradigms and corresponding practices being both weighted according to their importance for the automotive SC sustainability. The Delphi technique is used to obtain the weights for each SC paradigm and a linear aggregated method is proposed. A case study approach related to the automotive SC is chosen to illustrate the LARG index application. Findings – The case study results confirmed the usefulness and ease of application of LARG index in a real world SC. The application of the suggested index to a set of companies, and consequently to their SC, makes possible to identify: the better and worst performer company in each paradigm, the LARG practices with higher levels of application among the companies, the LARG index for each company and also for the corresponding SC. This becomes an important benchmarking tool since comparative analysis regarding the LARG behaviours are possible to perform with the suggested index. Research limitations/implications – More LARG practices could be considered to improve the robustness of the index. Future studies should be conducted across more companies for improving the effectiveness of the approach, and more members should be included in the panel of Delphi technique for enhancing the validity of the suggested approach. Practical implications – SC companies will be able to assess their performance in terms of leanness, agility, resilience and greenness. A study like this could encourage all automotive companies to benchmark their organizations as regards their competitors, the best in class, and also the industry average. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the literature by introducing a new index for measuring the leanness, agility, resilience and greenness of companies and SCs. This index can be used by managers as a benchmarking tool to identify their LARG behaviour and compare it with their SC partners and seek for improvement.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 572-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilkka Tapani Ojansivu ◽  
Kimmo Alajoutsijärvi ◽  
Jari Salo

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to increase understanding of post-project business relationships in service-intensive projects, a topic unexplored to date. This research contributes to the project marketing research focusing on post-project interaction, by building a conceptual research framework capable of illustrating the path from the initiation of a relationship through the project’s afterlife. Design/methodology/approach – A comparative case study is used across four different service-intensive project contexts to highlight the conceptual research framework, derived from the IMP-related interaction research, in practice. Findings – According to the research findings, there are at least four potential post-project business relationships associated with service-intensive projects. Furthermore, the findings indicate that these relationships embody certain antecedent and process characteristics, enabling us to compile four distinct development paths. Research limitations/implications – The four cases of the empirical research were chosen on theoretical grounds to highlight the conceptual research framework in practice, and thus the purpose was mainly descriptive. The findings should be generalized only with caution, as more empirical research is needed in this emerging project context. Practical implications – For managers, the findings provide practical guidance to deal with different post-project relationships. They will help managers to initiate, maintain and develop post-project relationships and to avoid a mismatch between relationship antecedent, processes and outcomes. Originality/value – Post-project buyer – seller interaction has been studied by the project marketing research stream, but mainly from the perspective of social exchange and sleeping relationships. With the advent of service-intensive projects, however, a whole new breed of post-project business relationships is unfolding and demanding research attention. This research is a step toward understanding the different post-project business relationships associated with service-intensive projects.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojtaba Maghrebi ◽  
Ali Shamsoddini ◽  
S. Travis Waller

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to predict the concrete pouring production rate by considering both construction and supply parameters, and by using a more stable learning method. Design/methodology/approach Unlike similar approaches, this paper considers not only construction site parameters, but also supply chain parameters. Machine learner fusion-regression (MLF-R) is used to predict the production rate of concrete pouring tasks. Findings MLF-R is used on a field database including 2,600 deliveries to 507 different locations. The proposed data set and the results are compared with ANN-Gaussian, ANN-Sigmoid and Adaboost.R2 (ANN-Gaussian). The results show better performance of MLF-R obtaining the least root mean square error (RMSE) compared with other methods. Moreover, the RMSEs derived from the predictions by MLF-R in some trials had the least standard deviation, indicating the stability of this approach among similar used approaches. Practical implications The size of the database used in this study is much larger than the size of databases used in previous studies. It helps authors draw their conclusions more confidently and introduce more generalised models that can be used in the ready-mixed concrete industry. Originality/value Introducing a more stable learning method for predicting the concrete pouring production rate helps not only construction parameters, but also traffic and supply chain parameters.


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.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  

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 The increasing relevance of culture to supply chain management is indicated by the number and scope of studies that currently exist. However, significant shortcomings prevail that might be addressed by the development of an appropriate framework able to measure interaction between individual, organizational and network cultural levels. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives 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.


2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 4-6
Author(s):  
Richard Calvi

Purpose According to Christopher (2000), in a lot of sectors, the competition is a question of supply chain against supply chain. The winner in term of competitive advantage should be the one, who is able to obtain more than the competitor from the available resources. In strategic literature, Dyer and Singh (1998) are the first who introduced the concept of “relational competency” to explain why some companies gain their competitive advantage not directly from their internal resources but mainly because they are able better to combine external resources. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a case study. Findings The author describes the different phases and strategic decisions in the building of a real supplier eco-system. Research limitations/implications It is a sole case study. Practical implications This study is a description of a success story. Originality/value This study is a description of an external resource management in action.


2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (12) ◽  
pp. 6-8

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 Greater understanding of a business unit’s actual rather than desired supply chain strategy can help identify where changes are needed and ensure it remain closely linked to the wider business strategy. Use of a relevant framework enables the tacit knowledge surrounding the supply chain function to become conceptualized and thus make the supply chain strategy more explicit. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives 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.


Author(s):  
Goran Milovanovic ◽  
◽  
Tamara Stankovic ◽  

Health crises have an impact on supply chains, mainly by disrupting their regular activities. In this research, the authors have analyzed the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has made on business relationships between supply chain partners in the automotive industry and their suppliers, which are mostly from territories where the initial outbreak of the SARS COV 2 virus occurred. The analysis shows that in some cases, there is a strong dependency between the pandemic and production levels. Being dependent prevents supply chains from maintaining stability and causes system vulnerabilities. The authors conclude their work with a thesis on the pronounced impact of the current pandemic on automotive supply chain activities. For the analysis to be complete, it is necessary to monitor changes in production levels further, since data for the current year still does not provide a realistic insight into all the consequences at the supply chain level.


2014 ◽  
Vol 114 (6) ◽  
pp. 904-921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy Andersson ◽  
Per Hilletofth ◽  
Peter Manfredsson ◽  
Olli-Pekka Hilmola

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to elaborate, how the use of a joint-use strategy of Lean and Six Sigma can improve flexibility, robustness, and agility. Telecom manufacturing has been under tremendous change after dot.com bubble burst in the early 2000, and new competition has originated from Asia. Being successful requires now more than before, and joint-use of strategies is one option to survive. Design/methodology/approach – A single case study from a Swedish company operating in the telecom manufacturing was conducted. In particular, a Six Sigma project was followed and analyzed during 2002. However, the outcome of the Six Sigma project has been studied in longitudinal manner until 2014. Findings – The Lean Six Sigma strategy ensures flexible, robust, and efficient processes. However, to make them more agile in order to sustain in today's highly competitive environment, something more is required. This could include staff training, strengthening company culture and collaborating with key partners in the supply chain. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to large company that usually has a lot of resources and choices where to put the strategic emphasis as well as has level of control of the supply chain operations. The situation could be very different in small and medium-sized companies and thus it may be more difficult to realize the Lean Six Sigma strategy in such environment. On the other hand, the processes in these companies are often less complex. Practical implications – This research provides guidance on how to manage the Lean Six Sigma strategy in order to ensure more flexible, robust, and efficient processes as well as how to perform a Six Sigma project in Lean environment, in a proper manner. Originality/value – This research provides guidance to companies regarding the applicability and properties of the Lean Six Sigma strategy. The paper will also serve as a basis for other companies and industries, on how to survive in difficult times.


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