Supply resource management: Salomon and his network of subcontractors in Romania

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 4-6
Author(s):  
Richard Calvi
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Resources ◽  
Internal Resources ◽  
The One ◽  
Practical Implications

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.

Daring to tap external strategic resources: competitive advantage in global industries

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 25-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart Orr
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Resources ◽  
Internal Resources ◽  
External Focus ◽  
Strategic Resources ◽  
Balanced Approach ◽  
Complementary Product ◽  
New Business ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose In addition to their internal resources, companies in most industries rely upon external strategic resources to maintain and improve their performance. External strategic resources have a similar effect on competitiveness but are located in the company’s networks or even in unrelated industries. Some companies underuse these resources, while other companies focus too strongly on accessing external resources in their own industry, which results in hyper-competition. This paper aims to explain how different industries use external resources and describes the criteria for a balanced approach which leads to knowledge transfer, diversity and supports the development of new business. Design/methodology/approach Examples and evidence from four different industries are used to identify the different approaches for accessing external strategic resources. Findings Valuable external strategic resources are non-transferable, located in a complementary product organisation, knowledge-oriented, located in a different country, preferably not part of the organisation’s primary external focus (e.g. supply chain), able to introduce diversity and innovation and are compatible with network behaviours. Practical implications External strategic resources are frequently found within the organisation’s supply chain, however, use of these resources should be balanced by external resources from non-related industries to increase diversity and reduce the likelihood of hyper-competition. Originality/value This paper explains why external strategic resources are valuable, identifies the different approaches to accessing them, describes the benefits and drawbacks associated with each approach and provides the key criteria for identifying a valuable external strategic resource.

Mining tech-fueled value from the procurement function

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 34-35
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Actions ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Reduced Costs ◽  
Productivity Gains ◽  
Practical Implications

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.

Lean Six Sigma strategy in telecom manufacturing

2014 ◽  
Vol 114 (6) ◽  
pp. 904-921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy Andersson ◽  
Per Hilletofth ◽  
Peter Manfredsson ◽  
Olli-Pekka Hilmola
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Emphasis ◽  
Company Culture ◽  
Difficult Times ◽  
Practical Implications

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.

Supplying success

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 7-9
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Cutting Edge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications

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 By looking at organizations in South Korea, it can be seen how crucial risk capability management is for protecting supply chain innovation. Both are needed for an organization to improve and gain a competitive advantage. 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.

The importance and the adaptation of internal resources as a competitive advantage for the internationalization of food companies

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-320
Author(s):  
Gessuir Pigatto ◽  
Giuliana Aparecida Santini Pigatto ◽  
Eduardo Guilherme Satolo ◽  
Amanda dos Santos Negreti
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Gray Relational Analysis ◽  
Resource Based View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Internal Resources ◽  
Relational Analysis ◽  
Gray Correlation ◽  
Correlation System ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze how Brazilian food companies in the State of São Paulo determine the importance of and the need to adapt their internal resources as a competitive advantage for internationalization. Design/methodology/approach From a resource-based view (RBV), 35 different factors grouped into four categories were identified and presented to 24 companies. The data were analyzed through a gray relational analysis to establish all factors’ order of importance. Findings Factors linked to human and organizational resources present greater adaptability and allow companies competitive and sustainable advantages but have not yet been explored thoroughly. Identifying and adapting internal resources do not guarantee achieving competitive and sustainable advantages, as the access to international market is also a consequence of commercial agreements developed by countries and economic blocks. Practical implications The analysis highlights the fragility of competitiveness among the companies analyzed in exporting products with commodity characteristics, with none or little differentiation. Such products are traded mainly through trading companies, which allow the access of the same market to internal competitors and other countries. Thus, any lapse promoted by the company may be enough for it to lose its competitiveness and, hence, market space. Originality/value This paper stands out in the field of strategic management, specifically in the research on RBV, exportation and competitiveness, by making use of the theory of gray correlation system in an innovative and original way.

scholarly journals “The map is not the territory”: a boundary objects perspective on supply chain mapping

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 1475-1497
Author(s):  
Nathalie Fabbe-Costes ◽  
Lucie Lechaptois ◽  
Martin Spring
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Boundary Objects ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Mapping Exercise

PurposeTo empirically examine the usefulness and value of supply chain mapping (SC mapping), which has been neglected despite its importance in research and practice.Design/methodology/approachBased on three combined theoretical perspectives, we conducted a case study on a car manufacturer's managers mapping their downstream supply chain (SC). We conducted semi-structured interviews and a mapping exercise with them, followed by a focus group.FindingsWe find differences between individual and corporate SC maps and between how managers define the outbound SC, the SC map they draw and what they say when mapping. The three theoretical perspectives allow us to enrich SC mapping thinking. We focus on boundary objects to formulate propositions. SC mapping and maps are discussed with respect to contemporary SCs and SCM.Research limitations/implicationsBased on a single case study on one firm's outbound SC. Research could be expanded to the company's external partners and follow the development and use of maps in real time.Practical implicationsHighlights the usefulness and difficulties of SC mapping, for individuals and organisations. For the company, it opens avenues for further development and use of SC mapping to improve inter-functional and inter-organisational collaboration.Social implicationsConfirms the need for SC mapping competences in SCM and consequently the usefulness of teaching SC mapping courses in logistics and SCM programs.Originality/valueHighlights the usefulness of SC mapping and rekindles interest in SC mapping and maps in SCM. Introduces boundary objects into SCM research.

Tradition and innovation in Italian wine family businesses

2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (8) ◽  
pp. 1883-1897 ◽  
Author(s):  
Demetris Vrontis ◽  
Stefano Bresciani ◽  
Elisa Giacosa
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Sustainable Competitive Advantage ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Effective Dissemination ◽  
Depth Study ◽  
Wine Sector ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse how a strategy based on the combination of tradition and innovation can offer a competitive advantage to a medium-sized family firm operating in the wine sector. Design/methodology/approach – This research focuses on one case study. The subject of the case study under analysis is Pio Cesare, an internationally recognized fine wine Italian company. Findings – Pio Cesare is characterized by a strong combination of tradition and innovation in terms of products and processes. Innovation and tradition are not opposites; on the contrary, a blend of the two has been crucial in achieving and maintaining a sustainable competitive advantage. Research limitations/implications – The formalization of an effective blend of tradition and innovation, especially in a family business, and an effective dissemination of the company philosophy to future generations, calls for a more in-depth study. This study has some limitations, which determined by the applied methodology. Multiple case study method would be useful. In relation to the interview technique, the authors would set out to increase the number of interviews, by also questioning managers and employees working, as opposed to family members. Practical implications – Practical implications relate to different groups of stakeholders: for owners and management, for investors, for organizations and institutions working on a territory promotion and in the tourism sector, and for politicians and local authorities. Originality/value – It identifies which business model a family winery business could be adopted in order to manage such strategies of innovation in respect to traditions, filling the gap in the literature.

Personal relationship and conflicts in supply chains

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 2225-2241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atif Saleem Butt ◽  
Ahmad Bayiz Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Personal Relationship ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Behavioural Patterns ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand conflicts that emerge between managers of buying and supplying firms when a personal relationship (friendship, etc.) is present between them in the supply chain context. Design/methodology/approach This research uses a case study methodology and relies on data obtained from 30 qualitative interviews with managers of buying and supplying firms, having a personal relationship within inter-firm relationships to promote the interest of the firm. Findings Results from this study reveal conflicts between managers of buying and supplying firms due to the presence of a personal relationship between them. Specifically, results suggest that managers face ego conflict, supplier’s selection conflict and conflict on accepting late deliveries when they rely on personal relationships, which are themselves embedded within inter-firm relationship. Research limitations/implications This study has some limitations. First, this study examines behavioural patterns in Australian cultural context. Second, results of this study are not generalizable to a broader population. Practical implications Firms can use the findings to understand conflicts, which arise between managers of buying and supplying firms, as a result of a personal relationship between them in the supply chain. Originality/value This is, perhaps, the first study contributing to the supply chain relationship literature by unveiling conflicts between managers of buying and supplying firms, when a personal relationship is present between them.

Overcoming the collaborative challenge: commitment as a super-ordinate enabler of value co-creation

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanley E. Fawcett ◽  
Amydee M. Fawcett ◽  
August Michael Knemeyer ◽  
Sebastian Brockhaus ◽  
G. Scott Webb
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Supply Chain Collaboration ◽  
Supply Chain Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Collaborative Advantage ◽  
Collaborative Capabilities ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeDespite over 30 years of focus on supply chain collaboration, companies continue to struggle to achieve collaborative advantage. To better understand why some companies are able to collaborate for competitive advantage and others can't, the authors explore how managerial commitment enables collaborative capabilities.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employed a longitudinal inductive study, interviewing companies with reputations for intense supply chain collaboration at four different times over 20 years.FindingsThe authors identified managerial commitment as a super-ordinate enabler. They describe the dynamics of commitment development and explore three types of commitment: instrumental, normative and transformative. The authors document key antecedents and outcomes of each type of commitment.Research limitations/implicationsTheory regarding the antecedents to commitment to collaborative capability is underdeveloped. The authors elaborate these antecedents and the dynamics that enable or undermine the commitment necessary to build effective collaboration capabilities.Practical implicationsThe authors provide insight (i.e. a practical and actionable roadmap) into the process companies use to cultivate commitment to collaboration and value co-creation.Originality/valueCollaboration is critical to value co-creation, including effective supply chain risk mitigation and lasting sustainability efforts. The authors elaborate a theory of commitment dynamics that explains why most companies never go beyond basic levels of collaboration. At the same time, the authors provide a roadmap for deep, transformative collaboration.

LARG index

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1472-1499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Garrido Azevedo ◽  
Helena Carvalho ◽  
V. Cruz-Machado
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Delphi Technique ◽  
Suggested Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Management Paradigms ◽  
Index Future ◽  
Practical Implications

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.

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