A TISM and MICMAC analysis of factors during COVID-19 pandemic in Indian Apparel Supply Chain

The objective of this study is to explore the challenges faced by the Indian apparel supply chain in the wake of COVID-19 to identify the factors that are being affected and build a multilevel hierarchy model to prioritize the factors and understand their inter-relationships. An intensive literature review was conducted and many experts from apparel supply chain were consulted. The study was conducted by the help of a survey sent to these experts from different echelons in the apparel industry. The data was then analysed using Total Interpretive Structural Modelling (TISM). The “Difficulty in export order fulfilment” factor is found to be the most sensitive factor which means that it is present in the TISM model hierarchy in a place that it is affected by most of the factors and in-turn impacts factors like operational cost, change in marketing strategy, change in consumer buying pattern, which impact Profitability and Cut-off in employment. “Cut-off in employment” is found to be most impacted by all other factors in TISM model.

Business process re-enginering of tourism e-marketplace by engaging government, small medium enterprises and tourists

Not all tourism actors in Indonesia had utilize the e-marketplace. Therefore, one of the Indonesian government's focus is to improve the tourism business process model through e-marketplace based system. The research purpose was to re-engineer the business process of tourism e-marketplace by engaging government, small medium enterprises (SMEs) and tourists. The research used the mixed method approach that conducted by modifying The McKinsey BPR methodology. As the result, this research adding two novel aspects to the previous research which are "role" and "activities". The new tourism e-marketplace business model proposed three kinds of role, namely: (1) government, (2) SMEs, and (3) tourists. This model also introduced activities including catalogue, finance, inventory management, collaboration, order fulfilment and customization. The proposed model was implemented and can be found in http://gonusadua.com. TELOS feasibility study was conducted to evaluate the model and found the final score of 8.3. It can be concluded that this model was feasible to develop and provide benefits for the government, SMEs, as well as the tourist. Beside had a contribution in built a new model of tourism e-marketplace, the research had also constructed a new tourism e-marketplace system with some improvements on the business model.

Exploring the factors impacting seller performance during online sales events on e-commerce marketplace in India

The Indian ecommerce industry has been growing substantially because of changing mindset of the Indian customers and ease of shopping online. A large number of sellers had registered on online marketplaces so that the sellers could reach a larger pool of customers. The goal for sellers was towards increasing sales substantially with optimal efforts. Some sellers were able to accomplish this goal successfully, but a majority of the sellers struggled finding the right formula for success. Ecommerce websites conducted online shopping heavy discount sales events for limited time periods. The objective of this research was to understand the various factors that influenced and impacted the performance of sellers on Indian E-commerce websites during such events. A total of eleven interviews were conducted with Indian E-commerce sales experts. The data was thematically content analysed. Five most significant factors that helped gauge sellers’ performance were late shipment rate, poor order fulfilment rate, limited product selection, high price and low glance views.

Traditional methods used in operational activities

The purpose of this chapter is to present the traditional methods used in operational man-agement. The methods described include benchmarking, outsourcing, Just-In-Time, kaizen, Total Quality Management, MRP I, MRP II, and core competencies developed in various periods of the 20th century to improve the planning process and efficient management of the flow of resources, goods and information. Benchmarking consists of comparing the processes and practices used by one’s own enterprise with those used in enterprises considered to be the best in the analysed field. Outsourcing means separating from the organizational structure of the enterprise some functions performed by them independently and transferring them to other entities for execution. Just-In-Time is used to reduce work in progress and inventory levels in production and warehouse processes. Kaizen and TQM are based on the continuous diagnosis and improvement of all elements of the company. MRP methods are based on computer systems and clearly defined, inter alia, the volume of demand, order fulfilment time and provide other data relevant to the company’s logistics system and its operations. Core competencies are company-specific skills that are difficult to copy or win over to competitors. The authors focused primarily on the presentation of the main goals, principles of operation, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the selected methods in operational management.

Framing Antecedents of the Last Mile Omni-Channel Distribution for the Retail Apparel Group

The last mile has to deliver the goods at the right time and at the right cost for business logistics services to enhance the customer service experience. The objective of this paper is to examine the challenges of retail omni-channel distribution influencing the effective last mile fulfilment operations processes in the apparel group (organisation phase). It further establishes the extent of how the last mile for demand-driven store replenishment influences the level of retailers’ order fulfilment (in full and on time) (environment phase). This paper, persistently assesses the contribution of integrated information systems on brick and mortar and virtual omni-channel distribution networks to improve timeousness, order accuracy and fill rate (technology phase). The mixed method has triangulated the methods from both quantitative methodology using frequencies and binomial testing and subjective thematic analysis of qualitative data from interviewees. The sample of 175 questionnaires were received with a response rate is 85 per cent (148 responses). The main findings of the paper revealed that the current order fulfilment process aligned with the last mile is effective on the basis of the fill rate, lead time and order condition of orders delivered via store economy and store express.

Capability mapping to improve manufacturing network performance: how a factory can target growth

PurposeThis paper explores growth opportunities for a contract manufacturer (CM), which operates a global virtual manufacturing network (GVMN). The Swiss factory should play a profitable role in the holding's competitive strategy, in spite of lower-cost alternatives within its network.Design/methodology/approachThe study applied a design science method over a period of two years of collaboration with the partner firm to complete three iterations of solution incubation and refinement.FindingsThe design artefact is a growth strategy for a CM with independently-managed, heterogeneous sites. A novel capability mapping tool reveals competitive advantage by deploying the GVMN as an order fulfilment system. Engineering and sales are integrated with production to project higher revenue streams in multiple locations including Switzerland.Research limitations/implicationsThe research expands the operations management (OM) focus on optimization and continuous improvement. Results indicate that local and global manufacturing capabilities can be configured to target network performance, implying that the smile curve flattens in certain GVMN configurations. The exploratory case study is limited by a lack of statistical generalizability and is specific to the contract electronics manufacturing industry.Practical implicationsManaging manufacturing as a network can restore feed-forward and feedback loops, which are disrupted by de-verticalization and externalization. The visualization positions a Swiss plant in an inimitable role, serving growth accounts, which require co-development. The order fulfilment strategy and capability maps can be adapted to other GVMNs.Social implicationsThe study presents an alternative to shuttering high-cost locations using performance improvements instead of protectionist interventions. This could have a material impact on de-industrialization in developed nations like Switzerland.Originality/valueThe strategy innovation originates in practice. Its synthesis drew on multiple disciplines to position OM as a strategic lever for competing in global value chains (GVCs). The author finds alternatives to the internationalization logic of cost arbitrage and adds to developed country studies. This is an OM contribution to the broader debate on globalization dominated by the social sciences.

Accelerating retail supply chain performance against pandemic disruption: adopting resilient strategies to mitigate the long-term effects

PurposeCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has disrupted global supply chains, revealing dreadful gaps and exposing vulnerabilities. Retailers are challenged to tackle risks and organise themselves to fit into the “new normal” scenario. This global outbreak has established a volatile environment for supply chains; it has raised the question of survival in the market, forcing companies to rethink resilient strategies to be adopted for the post-pandemic situation to mitigate the long-term effects of this virus. This study explores the priorities for retail supply chains (RSCs) to align their business operations and strategies for the post-pandemic world.Design/methodology/approachThis study has utilised integrated full consistency model (FUCOM) – best–worst method (BWM) for assessment of RSCs to enhance their business performance irrespective of pandemic disruptions. The FUCOM has been employed to identify the priorities of determinants enhancing business performance, whereas RSC strategies are evaluated using the BWM method.FindingsThe current study identifies “Collaboration Efficiency” as the main criterion for accelerating the performance of RSCs in a dynamic social environment. Also, the study concludes that “Order Fulfilment” and “Digital RSCs” are the most appropriate resilient business strategies to mitigate the long-term effects.Research limitations/implicationsSupply-demand balancing is a challenging task at the moment, but highly significant for the future. The pandemic disruptions have placed intense pressure on retailers to deliver products as per consumers' changing behaviours towards the purchase of essentials and other products. Hence, “Order Fulfilment” and “Digital RSCs” should be adopted for meeting customer requirements and to ensure sustainability in the post-pandemic business world.Originality/valueThis work sets out a comprehensive framework which will be helpful for accelerating RSCs performance against pandemic disruption by adopting resilient strategies to mitigate the long-term effects.

Rethinking picking processes in e-grocery: A study in the multichannel context

PurposeGrocery sellers that have entered the online business must now carry out order fulfilment activities previously done by the customer. Consequently, in a context of online sales growth, the purpose of this study is to identify and implement best practices in order to redesign the order picking process in a retailer with a store-based model.Design/methodology/approachTo identify different work alternatives, an approach is developed to analyse the methods used in distinct stores of one large Spanish grocer. The methodology employed is a three-step statistical analysis that combines ANOVA and MANOVA techniques to settle on the best alternatives in each case.FindingsSubstantial improvements can be achieved by analysing the different working methods. The three-step statistical analysis identified best practices in terms of their impact on preparation time, allowing a faster working method.Practical implicationsTo manage business processes efficiently, online grocers that operate store-based fulfilment strategies can redesign their working method using a criterion based on their own performance.Originality/valueThis is one of the few contributions focusing on the improvement of e-grocery fulfilment operations by disseminating best practices through decision-making criteria. This study contributes by addressing the lack of approaches studying the order picking process by considering its various features and applying best practices.