Joint operational decision-making in collaborative transportation networks: the role of IT

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Buijs ◽  
J.C. (“Hans”) Wortmann
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Transportation Networks ◽  
Supply Chain Collaboration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Planning And Control ◽  
Operational Decision Making ◽  
And Control

Purpose – This paper addresses horizontal supply chain collaboration among autonomous freight carriers in the less-than-truckload industry. The main purpose of the paper is to identify and explain the challenges with joint operational decision-making in this context and investigate the precise role of information technology (IT) therein. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical evidence is gathered by means of exploratory and explanatory case research, with multiple cases at the planning departments of European freight carriers operating in collaborative transportation networks. Findings – Collaborating carriers face fundamental challenges in joint operational planning and control of collaborative transportation, despite the broad availability of state-of-the-art IT. These operational supply chain challenges can be explained by technological differences of the available IT applications, which hinder integration. Research limitations/implications – Any expectations with regard to state-of-the-art XML or EDI-based IT integration for improved joint operational decision-making in collaborative transportation networks should be considered with care. In particular, the authors' research findings may encourage practitioners to consider new planning and control procedures and develop dedicated IT applications for collaborating freight carriers. Originality/value – The paper highlights the importance of horizontal supply chain collaboration for small and medium-sized freight carriers in the less-than-truckload industry and conceptualises how collaborative transportation networks are organised. Furthermore, an IT typology is introduced to explain the challenges with joint operational decision-making.

Prospect of lean practices towards construction supply chain management trends

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Phuoc Luong Le ◽  
Nguyen Thi Duc Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Architectural Engineering ◽  
Planning And Control ◽  
Last Planner System ◽  
Last Planner ◽  
And Control

Purpose To deal with the present situation and recover after the COVID-19 pandemic, construction firms are required to recognise the trends in construction supply chain management (CSCM) for the upcoming years and determine the appropriate practices towards the trends for the improvement of construction activities in terms of strategy, tactic and operations. This paper aims to recognise key trends in CSCM and uses these trends as strategic criteria for the evaluation and prioritisation of lean construction (LC) tools at different project phases including design and architectural engineering, planning and control, on-site construction and safety management. Design/methodology/approach The integrated analytic hierarchy process–Delphi method is used to collect and analyse the data from construction experts to evaluate the importance levels of the CSCM trends and recommend the appropriate tools for LC practices to improve project performances. Findings Seven key CSCM trends are identified: lean supply chain management (SCM), supply chain (SC) integration, SC standardisation, SC problem-solving, SC information-sharing, SC flexibility and SC sustainability. Based on these trends, a set of prioritised lean tools are suggested for LC practices, in which “virtual design construction” (VDC) and “last planner system” are considered as the central tools. These two LC practices can be integrated with other effective tools to support the strategic, tactical and operational targets in construction supply chain (CSC) projects. Research limitations/implications This study gives the managerial implications by developing an application framework of LC practices for CSC projects. The framework promotes “VDC” as a strategic tool for the phase of design and architectural engineering and considers “last planner system” as the central LC practice for the phase of project planning and control. The framework also focuses on the improvement of efficiency in construction operations by taking into account the aspects of on-site collaboration, problem-solving, improvement and safety. Originality/value Up to date, there is still a lack of researches in classifying and prioritising the significant LC tools for each project phase to deal with CSC issues in both breadth and depth. Thus, this study is performed to provide construction managers with the awareness of CSCM trends on which they can focus to have strategic criteria for selecting LC practices to improve CSC performances.

Employees factors importance in Lean Six Sigma concept

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 774-785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vesna Spasojevic Brkic ◽  
Branislav Tomic
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Control ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Response Variables

Purpose – Lean management and Six Sigma concepts are derived from two different points of view, but it is evident that the role of employees is crucial in both concepts. The purpose of this paper is to survey which employees’ behaviour dimensions can lead organization to better concepts integration and how Lean Six Sigma activity contributes to employees’ performance. Design/methodology/approach – Research methodology is designed to empirically check, on large sample of companies in multinational company supply chain, if employees’ factors are both predictor and response variables of Lean Six Sigma concept. To check stated hypothesis factor, reliability and multiple regression analysis are used. Findings – The first finding of this study is that reward system and training are significant predictors of Lean Six Sigma activities. The second part of findings shows that Lean Six Sigma dimensions, such as Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control/Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Validate, 5S and Kanban positively influences employees’ performance, described by employee satisfaction, absenteeism, salaries and benefits, employees’ commitment and employee turnover rate. Research limitations/implications – Poka-Yoke application is not found as a significant predictor of employees’ performance. Accordingly, to explore that interesting finding, possible future research topic is more detailed analysis of Poka-Yoke application in similar supply chains. A longitudinal analysis using structural equation is possible direction of future work, too. Practical implications – This survey answers the need for Lean and Six Sigma unified methodology achievement in soft factors area and gives applicable results for companies in supply chain that produces low-volume, high-complexity products. Originality/value – Original and valuable conclusion is that employees’ factors are both predictor and response variables of Lean Six Sigma concept application.

Trends in turnaround maintenance planning: literature review

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umar Al-Turki ◽  
Salih Duffuaa ◽  
M. Bendaya
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Content Type ◽  
System View ◽  
Planning And Control ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
And Performance ◽  
New Research ◽  
And Control ◽  
Operation And Management

PurposeTurnaround maintenance (TAM) is a planned stoppage of production for conducting a comprehensive maintenance of equipment or plant with the purpose of improving plant availability and performance. The purpose of this paper is to investigate trends in the operation and management of TAM, as reported in the literature, and identify gaps, in the context of a system approach that views a plant as part of a network of a supply chain.Design/methodology/approachThis literature review is based on over 80 subject-relevant papers and uses content analysis. The literature subjects are classified into several managerial areas that include organization, planning, scope and risk analysis, execution, performance measurement and learning. The gap in the literature is identified in light of the proposed system view for TAM.FindingsThe system view of TAM opens new opportunities for new research areas for improving the operation and management of TAM. These areas include optimizing TAM scheduling and developing methods for managing risks along the entire business supply chain. In addition, new approaches for collaboration, sharing knowledge, best practices and expertise within the supply chain become necessary for effective TAM planning and control.Originality/valueThis paper reviews the literature and provides a new classification of TAM. It adopts the system view for TAM that has brought new insights in the operation and management of TAM. New trends for research in the area of TAM are identified.

The role of blockchain in reducing the impact of barriers to humanitarian supply chain management

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Ihsan Ozdemir ◽  
Ismail Erol ◽  
Ilker Murat Ar ◽  
Iskender Peker ◽  
Ali Asgary ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Decision Aid ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chain ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe objective of this study is to investigate the role of blockchain in reducing the impact of barriers to humanitarian supply chain management (HSCM) using a list of blockchain benefits.Design/methodology/approachA decision aid was used to explore the suitability of blockchain in humanitarian supply chains. To achieve that, first, a list of barriers to HSCM was identified. Then, the intuitionistic fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (IF–DEMATEL) method was utilized to determine the relationships and the level of interdependencies among the criteria. Finally, the intuitionistic fuzzyanalytic network process (IF–ANP) technique was employed, as it successfully handles dependencies among the criteria.FindingsThe findings of this study suggest that interorganizational barriers are the most suitable ones, the impacts of which blockchain may alleviate. This study further suggests that trust turned out to be the most significant benefit criterion for the analysis.Research limitations/implicationsThe readers should construe the findings of this study with caution since it was carried out using the data collected from the experts of a particular country. Moreover, the proposed decision aid contemplates a limited set of criteria to assess a possible role of blockchain in overcoming the barriers to HSCM.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study can assist humanitarian supply chain managers to make more judicious assessments on whether they implement the blockchain in humanitarian supply chain operations. Specifically, this research may help decision makers to identify the certain barriers, the impact of which may be reduced by using the blockchain. The findings of this research will also help various decision makers make more rational decisions and allocate their resources more effectively.Originality/valueTo the best of authors’ knowledge, no single study exists to investigate the role of blockchain in reducing the impact of barriers to HSCM using an intuitionistic fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making approach.

Risk calculations in the manufacturing technology selection process

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sami Farooq ◽  
Chris O'Brien
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Manufacturing Technology ◽  
Technology Selection ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Selection Decision ◽  
Selection Framework

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present result obtained from a developed technology selection framework and provide a detailed insight into the risk calculations and their implications in manufacturing technology selection process.Design/methodology/approachThe results illustrated in the paper are the outcome of an action research study that was conducted in an aerospace company.FindingsThe paper highlights the role of risk calculations in manufacturing technology selection process by elaborating the contribution of risk associated with manufacturing technology alternatives in the shape of opportunities and threats in different decision‐making environments.Practical implicationsThe research quantifies the risk associated with different available manufacturing technology alternatives. This quantification of risk crystallises the process of technology selection decision making and supports an industrial manager in achieving objective and comprehensive decisions regarding selection of a manufacturing technology.Originality/valueThe paper explains the process of risk calculation in manufacturing technology selection by dividing the decision‐making environment into manufacturing and supply chain environment. The evaluation of a manufacturing technology considering supply chain opportunities and threats provides a broader perspective to the technology evaluation process. The inclusion of supply chain dimension in technology selection process facilitates an organisation to select a manufacturing technology not only according to its own requirements, but also according to the interest of its constituent supply chain.

scholarly journals The Role of Collaboration and Integration in the Supply Chain of Construction Industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 1300-1313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fazal Ali Shaikh ◽  
Muhammad Saeed Shahbaz ◽  
Saad Ud Din ◽  
Nasurullah Odhano
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Supply Chain Collaboration ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Joint Decision ◽  
Supplier Integration ◽  
The Government ◽  
Internal Integration

It has found that the construction sector of Pakistan is growing fast due to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor but history shows that construction projects never achieves its targets. The literature revealed the major hurdles behind the construction is supply chain issues. Supply chain of construction is deficient due to lack of collaboration and integration. The aim of this study is the empirically verify the role of supply chain collaboration (information sharing, Joint decision making, and risk and reward sharing) and supply chain integration (supplier integration, internal integration, and customer integration) with performance. This is a quantitative study, a total of 350 questionnaires were distributed to registered construction firms with Pakistan Engineering Council and 221 were received and considered for analysis after purification, validity and reliability. Multiple-regression technique was applied through SPSS. This study has unique findings as all integration approaches have significant effects while collaboration is not working for the same industry. This proves that members of supply chain construction can get benefit from integration but they hesitate to share their risks, rewards, and planning to all stakeholders. This study will help managers in decision making. This study will also help the government of Pakistan and China in completing their construction projects in time and with the designated cost.

The role of cognitive proximity on supply chain collaboration for radical and incremental innovation: a study of a transition economy

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 591-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mai Anh Thi Nguyen ◽  
Hui Lei ◽  
Khoa Dinh Vu ◽  
Phong Ba Le
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Transition Economy ◽  
Incremental Innovation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Supply Chain Collaboration ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Incentive Alignment ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of cognitive proximity on supply chain collaboration and how it relates to radical and incremental innovation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on quantitative approach to analyze the data of 218 firms in a developing and transition economy. The proposal model is tested with exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsThe authors’ findings show that cognitive proximity facilitates decision synchronization and incentive alignment in the supply chain. Furthermore, the authors’ results indicate that information sharing and decision synchronization are determinants of radical innovation while incentive alignment is a determinant of incremental innovation.Research limitations/implicationsThis study was cross-sectional, so the authors could not consider the control variable such as sectors or firms’ size. It is hard to control the specific features of cognitive proximity in one single industry when using cross-sectional data. In future investigations, it may be possible to use a different dimension of proximity to explain the implementation of collaboration for innovation.Originality/valueThis study attempted to explore the role of cognitive proximity on supply chain implementation process in the context of a transition economy. Moreover, the authors’ findings provide the clearer understanding of the relationship between collaboration and innovation.

Collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment: a literature review

2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (7) ◽  
pp. 971-993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Luis Hollmann ◽  
Luiz Felipe Scavarda ◽  
Antônio Márcio Tavares Thomé
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Collaborative Planning ◽  
Supply Chain Collaboration ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of the literature on Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR). The review emphasises the descriptors of CPFR implementation and models, as well as the impact of CPFR and other supply chain collaboration (SCC) initiatives on supply chain (SC) performance. Design/methodology/approach – The systematic review includes 50 full-text papers retrieved from four databases: Emerald, EBSCO, ScienceDirect and Wiley. Rigorous and verifiable keywords, review steps and selection criteria were applied to the database and inter-coders agreement was systematically checked. Findings – There is no consensus regarding the breadth and scope of CPFR configurations. CPFR is context-dependent and varies according to the configuration of the SC. Trust, information-communication technology and the quality of information sharing are main enablers and inhibitors of implementation. Practical implications – Practitioners will benefit from insights related to the choice of SCC configurations (e.g. number of partners, nature of products and spatial complexity), the importance of trust and empowerment for SCC and the need to outweigh carefully the costs and benefits of specific SCC before implementation. Originality/value – CPFR, which is considered by many to be the most advanced and the most comprehensive SCC process and has a direct impact upon SC performance. Nonetheless, efforts to synthesise the overall state of the art in CPFR have been rather limited to date. As an effort to fill this gap, this paper provides a better understanding of the role of CPFR as a determinant of SC performance. As an effort to contribute to complete the cycle of theory building based on the literature review, seven propositions for CPFR research are put forward.

The mediating role of supply chain collaboration on the relationship between technology, trust and operational performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 298-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Asif Salam
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Operational Performance ◽  
Developing Economy ◽  
Supply Chain Collaboration ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Ongoing Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the link between trust, technology and supply chain collaboration and their impact on firms’ operational performances. Design/methodology/approach Based on extant literature, a hypothesized model was developed and tested using structural equation modelling (i.e. AMOS). A survey was conducted to collect data from the supply chain managers of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies (more precisely in the food and beverage sector) in Thailand. Findings The study findings suggest that through an ongoing relationship, trust evolves and is shaped over time and can form a competitive capability that may not be easy for competitors to replicate. Both trust and technology are found to have significant impact on supply chain collaboration and on firms’ operational performances. Research limitations/implications One of the major limitations of the study is that the data were obtained from one single economy, which restricts its generalizability across other economies. The study was a cross-sectional and descriptive sample of the FMCG industry at a given point in time. A more stringent test of the relationships between trust, technology, supply chain collaboration and operational performance requires an in-depth case study or longitudinal study. Practical implications The findings will enable supply chain managers in the FMCG industry to understand the strategic role of trust and technology in building supply chain collaboration that leads to superior operational performance. Originality/value The paper clearly confirms that trust and technological capabilities are significantly associated with supply chain collaboration and operational performance. Most of the earlier supply chain collaboration research streams are based on developed economies where supply chain collaboration challenges are predictable, while the current study conducted is based on a developing economy setting. This study facilitates the author’s understanding of the challenges in managing supply chain collaboration within a developing economy.

Absorptive capacity versus distributive capability

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (10) ◽  
pp. 1308-1332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly K. Whitehead ◽  
Zach G. Zacharia ◽  
Edmund L. Prater
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Absorptive Capacity ◽  
Structural Equations ◽  
Supply Chain Collaboration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Collaborative Engagement ◽  
Parsimonious Model ◽  
Complex Relationships

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to disentangle the role of the source and recipient of knowledge in supply chain collaboration by providing evidence that the distributive capabilities of a source, working in conjunction with the absorptive capacity (AC) of a recipient, have direct and significant effects on levels of collaborative engagement between supply chain partners and indirect and significant effects on collaborative operational outcomes. Design/methodology/approach This study utilises 310 surveys and structural equations modelling to provide empirical evidence to support the significance of the source of knowledge in collaborative activities. Findings The study provides evidence for source-based knowledge transfer constructs (distributive capabilities) in supply chain collaboration. Further, this research supports these capabilities working in conjunction with recipient AC both as necessary but insufficient requirements for successful knowledge transfer. Practical implications Firm interdependence within supply chains continues to grow. In today’s environment of outsourcing and increasing levels of inter-firm activities, this research provides a parsimonious model of collaboration that allows firms to understand knowledge transfer better and how to more aptly manage these types of activities and complex relationships. Originality/value Earlier research in this domain has focussed on the abilities of a recipient firm to absorb knowledge in order to understand successful collaborative knowledge transfer. By solely focussing on the recipient firm, the role of the source of knowledge has been largely overlooked in this stream of research.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document