The impact of supply chain analytics on operational performance: a resource-based view

This study seeks to better understand the role of supply chain analytics (SCA) on supply chain planning satisfaction and operational performance. We define the architecture of SCA as the integration of three sets of resources, data management resources (DMR), IT-enabled planning resources and performance management resources (PMR), from the perspective of a resource-based view. Based on the data collected from 537 manufacturing plants, we test hypotheses exploring the relationships among these resources, supply chain planning satisfaction, and operational performance. Our analysis supports that DMR should be considered a key building block of manufacturers’ business analytics initiatives for supply chains. The value of data is transmitted to outcome values through increasing supply chain planning and performance capabilities. Additionally, the deployment of advanced IT-enabled planning resources occurs after acquisition of DMR. Manufacturers with sophisticated planning technologies are likely to take advantage of data-driven processes and quality control practices. DMR are found to be a stronger predictor of PMR than IT planning resources. All three sets of resources are related to supply chain planning satisfaction and operational performance. The paper concludes by reviewing research limitations and suggesting further SCA research issues.     

Supply chain coordination under information asymmetry: a review

Aligning supply chain decisions of separate entities with independent objectives can be considered to be one of the difficulties of supply chain management. This difficulty becomes worse if the supply chains are characterised by an asymmetrical distribution of information. Although considerable research has recently been devoted to supply chain coordination, less attention has been paid to different information asymmetry settings to the mechanisms underlying it. This research attempts to help fill this gap by reviewing and classifying the literature based on supply chain features, applied methodology, coordination mechanisms, and types of information asymmetry. The proposed classification is used to highlight the ongoing issues in the area and identify the direction for future research.     

Supply chain optimisation with both production and transportation integration: multiple vehicles for a single perishable product

This paper deals with an extension of the integrated production and transportation scheduling problem (PTSP) by considering multiple vehicles (PTSPm) for optimisation of supply chains. The problem reflects a real concern for industry since production and transportation subproblems are commonly addressed independently or sequentially, which leads to sub-optimal solutions. The problem includes specific capacity constraints, the short lifespan of products and the special case of the single vehicle that has already been studied in the literature. A greedy randomised adaptive search procedure (GRASP) with an evolutionary local search (ELS) is proposed to solve the instances with a single vehicle as a special case. The method has been proven to be more effective than those published and provides shorter computational times with new best solutions for the single vehicle case. A new set of instances with multiple vehicles is introduced to favour equitable future research. Our study extends previous research using an indirect resolution approach and provides an algorithm to solve a wide range of one-machine scheduling problems with the proper coordination of single or multiple vehicles.     

Supply chain resilience: model development and empirical analysis

The purpose of this study is to develop a hierarchy-based model for supply chain resilience (SCRES), explaining the dynamics between various enablers and validating the model empirically. Literature review and a survey identified the enablers. Interpretive structural modelling (ISM) is used to analyse the levels of relationships among enablers. Based on their driving power and dependence, these enablers are also classified into different categories. Structural equation modelling is used to validate the hierarchical SCRES model and test the path analytical model. The study provides empirical justification for a framework that identifies 13 key enablers of resilient supply chain practices and describes the relationship among them using ISM. It also classifies them using Matrix of Cross Impact Multiplications Applied to Classification analysis on the basis of their driver power and dependence. The key finding is that using the proposed model, organisations can enhance their resilience potential by modifying their strategic assets. The model was tested using rigorous statistical tests including convergent validity, discriminant validity and reliability. The holistic view offered by the proposed model depicts the relationship among enablers to achieve SCRES.     

Innovative knowledge sharing,supply chain integration and firm performance of Australian manufacturing firms

A number of reports show that innovation in Australian manufacturing firms is declining. We propose that better knowledge sharing practices can assist these firms to become more innovative. In this paper, we examine this proposition by empirically testing the relationship between knowledge sharing practices within and between trading partners as a framework for integration, and testing for the effect of these practices on firm performance. Data were collected from 418 organisations in the manufacturing industry in Australia to assess the degree to which innovative knowledge sharing practices provide a competitive advantage to Australian firms. Structural equation modelling approach to data analysis was used. It was found that the three innovative knowledge sharing constructs (internal knowledge integration, knowledge integration with customers and knowledge integration with suppliers) were strongly inter-related, providing a case for knowledge-based integration of firms with their trading partners. Further, these three exogenous constructs collectively explained about a third of the variance in the endogenous construct (firm performance). The relationships identified provide support for the efficacy of knowledge-based collaboration as an innovation promoting higher firm performance levels. Managers of manufacturing firms in Australia specifically, and others more generally, can use this as a way to conceptualise how their firms can develop internal integration and collaborative relationships with their trading partners.     

Supply chain configurations: a model to evaluate performance in customised productions

This paper describes an approach used to evaluate the performance of different supply chain configurations in customised contexts. Based on historical data collected from the supply chain of a shoe producer, different configurations are evaluated based on a discrete-event simulation by highlighting the performance of the supply chain (in terms of supply chain order lead-time and inventory volume) when the production switched from standard production (characterised by batches of large quantities of the same product) to customised production (characterised by a small of series batches with high product variability). The simulation approach relies on experimentation through executable configurations, which enables the creation of different scenarios, and is then applied to the case of an actual firm in the footwear industry. The managerial implications of these findings are discussed.     

Supply chain risk classification: discussion and proposal

The supply chain management philosophy has often been used by organisations to achieve a competitive advantage, but it increases the vulnerability of these supply chains (SC) to certain risks. This dialogue between competitive advantage and risk generation has increased the number of studies related to the topic of ‘supply chain risk management’. Aiming to contribute to this field of research, a literature survey was conducted on 16 risk classifications, which included 56 risk types. These risk types were sorted according to existing conceptual similarities and then related to the five management processes intrinsic in a functional SC (plan, source, make, deliver and return), which are mainly advocated by the supply chain operations reference model. This literature review also highlights the lack of consensus among the surveyed authors concerning the risk types that affect a SC, a gap which this paper seeks to close by proposing a supply chain risk classification.     

Supply chain design and cost analysis through simulation

This paper is grounded on a discrete-event simulation model, reproducing a fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) supply chain, and aims at quantitatively assessing the effects of different supply configurations on the resulting total supply chain costs and bullwhip effect. Specifically, 30 supply chain configurations are examined, stemming from the combination of several supply chain design parameters, namely number of echelons (from 3 to 5), re-order and inventory management policies (EOQ vs. EOI), demand information sharing (absence vs. presence of information sharing mechanisms), demand value (absence vs. presence of demand ‘peak’), responsiveness of supply chain players. For each configuration, the total logistics costs and the resulting demand variance amplification are computed. A subsequent statistical analysis is performed on 20 representative supply chain configurations, with the aim to identify significant single and combined effects of the above parameters on the results observed. From effects analysis, bullwhip effect and costs outcomes, 11 key results are derived, which provide useful insights and suggestions to optimise supply chain design.     

Effects of green supply chain integration and green innovation on environmental and cost performance

This paper argues that mechanisms such as information sharing and collaboration used in green supply chain integration (GSCI) to improve information processing capacity can reduce uncertain outcomes of green product and process innovation. Based on data from a survey of Chinese (Hong Kong) firms, the paper tests whether the three dimensions of GSCI (green internal, customer and supplier integration) improve environmental performance and cost reduction by facilitating green product and process innovation. The results show that green customer integration improves cost and environmental performance through green process innovation (not green product innovation). Both green product and process innovations are facilitated by green customer integration (not green supplier integration), while both green customer and supplier integration significantly depend on green internal integration. These suggest that the distinctive information processing capacity created by green internal and customer integration can facilitate the green process innovation required to improve environmental and cost efficiency, while green product innovation and green supplier integration cannot create such efficiencies.     

Risks and performance in supply chain: the push effect

A risk, when it occurs, causes negative effects on outputs. Typically risks are not independent, as multiple risks occur simultaneously. These risks have links, creating a ‘push’ effect, thus increasing the severity of each and all risk(s) on outputs. This paper aims to verify the mechanism of the push effect that is a new approach in the supply chain risk management literature. In this study, two models were compared: (1) only exists in direct effects of risks on supply chain performance, i.e. the competitive model. The other, (2), contains relationships among risks that show the mechanism of the push effect, i.e. the hypothesised model. Empirical evidence found in the Vietnam construction sector proved that the hypothesised model is better suited and has greater effect on supply chain performance in terms of each and all risk(s). Comparing 55% variance of the competitive model, the hypothesised one can explain up to 73% variance of supply chain performance. These results confirm our hypotheses of the push effect. Furthermore, findings achieved from this research can be used as ‘a guideline’ for reducing the impact of this mechanism.     

Supply chain relationship quality and performance in technological turbulence: an artificial neural network approach

A well-functioning supply chain management relationship cannot only develop seamless coordination with valuable members, but also improve operational efficiency to secure greater market share, increased profits and reduced costs. An accurate decision-making system considering multifactor relationship quality is highly desired. This study offers an alternative perspective and characterisation of the supply chain relationship quality and performance. A decision-making model is proposed with an artificial neural network approach for supply chain continuous performance improvement. Supply chain performance is analysed via a supervised learning back-propagation neural network. An ‘inverse’ neural network model is proposed to predict the supply chain relationship quality conditions. Optimal performance parameters can be obtained using the proposed neural network scheme, providing significant advantages in terms of improved relationship quality. This study demonstrates a new solution with the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods for performance improvement. The overall accuracy rate of the decision-making model is 88.703%. The results indicated that trust has the greatest influence on the supply chain performance. Relationship quality among supply chain partners impacts performance positively as the pace of technological turbulence increases.     

Coordination and performance analysis for a three-echelon supply chain with a revenue sharing contract

This paper focuses on a three-echelon supply chain composed of a manufacturer, a distributor and a retailer for a single selling period. Based on a revenue sharing contract, the coordination of the decentralised supply chain with the simultaneous move game or the leader–follower game is analysed. It is determined that the revenue sharing contract can coordinate the decentralised supply chain with the simultaneous move game. Our analysis reveals that the revenue sharing contract cannot coordinate the decentralised three-echelon supply chain with the leader–follower game except for a special situation. However, this result provides an opportunity to develop methodology and results that measure the potential improvement in supply chain performance that can be gained from utilising the revenue sharing contract. This is an important aspect of this paper.     

Supply chain risk management: a literature review

Risk management plays a vital role in effectively operating supply chains in the presence of a variety of uncertainties. Over the years, many researchers have focused on supply chain risk management (SCRM) by contributing in the areas of defining, operationalising and mitigating risks. In this paper, we review and synthesise the extant literature in SCRM in the past decade in a comprehensive manner. The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, we present and categorise SCRM research appearing between 2003 and 2013. Second, we undertake a detailed review associated with research developments in supply chain risk definitions, risk types, risk factors and risk management/mitigation strategies. Third, we analyse the SCRM literature in exploring potential gaps.     

Examining the interrelationships between supply chain integration scope and supply chain management efforts

In this article, we study the concept of supply chain integration scope by comparing firms that involve immediate supply chain partners in their strategic efforts (narrow supply chain scope) versus firms that involve supply chain partners beyond the immediate level, for example second tier suppliers and end customers (broad supply chain scope). By relying on Coordination Theory and expanding upon Frohlich and Westbrook's (2001 Frohlich, MT and Westbrook, R. 2001. Arcs of integration: an international study of supply chain strategies. Journal of Operations Management, 19(5): 185–200.  [Google Scholar]) ‘arcs of integration’ principle, we propose that supply chain integration scope and the type of supply chain management efforts deployed by firms are correlated. We use data from a large sample of US and European firms to explore the association between supply chain integration scope and supply chain management efforts. The results show that supply chain integration scope can be predicted by a firm's supply chain management efforts. The implications of our results for practising managers are also offered. Our results suggest that supply chain managers should consider the practices identified in this study while deciding on the appropriate level of supply chain integration scope, i.e., which extended supply chain members to include in their strategic planning efforts.     

Relationship between downstream integration,performance measurement systems and supply network efficiency

Downstream integration is a key managerial area to improve performance in supply networks. Though most studies agree that downstream integration positively influences performances, the literature also reports cases of failures in achieving significant improvements. This evidence suggests that some factors may act as moderators on the downstream integration-performance relationship. This paper analyses the impact of downstream integration on supply network efficiency and the moderating effect on this relationship of supply network performance measurement systems. Data from a sample of 200 manufacturing plants settled in several countries around the world demonstrate that this moderating effect exists. Therefore, in order to strengthen the impact of downstream integration on supply network efficiency, managers should combine interventions on downstream integration and supply network performance measurement systems, rather than investing and focusing on downstream integration only.     

供应链的文化整合:动因、模式、原则、风险及对策

在对供应链文化整合进行定义的基础上,分析论证了整合的动因与模式,提出了供应链文化整合的原则,并对我国企业供应链文化整合过程中可能发生的风险提出了对策.     

Arcs of supply chain integration

Integration is posited by many authors as a supply chain utopia. Indeed, it is claimed as being synonymous with supply chain management excellence. The primary aim of this research is to verify the link between supply chain integration and competitive performance. Detailed information collected via an 8-year international field study of 50 products and their associated supply chains subjected to an extensive statistical analysis provides rigorous insight into supply chain integration in practice. The breadth of supply chain integration significantly correlates with increased performance, yet in practice, the majority of supply chains are not well integrated. However, most supply chains seem to follow a popular route when seeking to enable seamless operations. This starts with enhanced internal effectiveness followed by upstream streamlining and then finally downstream integration. If practitioners are still struggling with supply chain integration, this research confirms that they are not unique in their predicament. Indifferent practice is indeed the norm. Fortunately, practitioners can follow the popular route established herein when seeking to improve integrative capability.     

Information management strategies and supply chain performance under demand disruptions

The operations management literature presents inadequate comprehensive understanding on information management strategies of mitigating supply chain disruption risks. By using control theory modelling and simulation, this study compares the disruption mitigation effects of three information management strategies. From the aspect of stability, the existing stability boundaries are revised by a new method in a two-echelon case. It shows that supply chains (SC) with popular information management strategies are not evidently more stable than traditional ones. From the aspect of disruption recovery time, an innovative two-echelon swiftest response problem under these information management strategies is formulated and solved. Results show that a collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment (CPFR) SC with complete SC information performs the best. However, in a later operational risk mitigation test, an information sharing (IS) SC with partial information has the smallest bullwhip effect. From the aspect of demand amplification and frequency response, an innovative frequency–response plot of order amplification is proposed in a time-continuous SC with moving average forecasts. It implies the best frequency response for concurrently mitigating both operational and disruption risks coming from a CPFR SC. But for a certain SC structure there is still a balance between mitigating bullwhip effect and quick response. Moreover, it also implies that anti-bullwhip should exist in a certain condition, as realised in our numerical experiments.