Focus Of Supply Chain Management Research Articles

The utilization of AI in advancing green supply chain management focusing healthcare sector in Saudi Arabia

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a notable developing technology and its applications have extended the benefits to almost all disciplines. The aim of this current research is to investigate the impact of Artificial Intelligence on Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM). This research explains the applications of AI in GSCM and illustrate, how the application of AI has opened new directions in future for GSCM and what are the challenges need to be addressed for its effective working. AI facilitates in reducing cost, automating, and increase in productivity and eventually achieving economies of scale in SCM. This research provides a development of an outline for the use of an AI based GSM for industries especially in the Healthcare sector (HST). For the purpose of the study we have applied Qualitative analysis and methods of data collection were workshop and interview with HST professionals and stakeholders in KSA. The results show that HST professional have good experience and gave 90 percent positive feedback for applying AI for GSCM in HST but Stakeholders for some situations have shown apprehension due to short term increment of cost in handing the GSCM and applications of sensors to automate the process but their responses were also 70 percent positive.

Supply chain management focusing on relationship building and switching cost

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the current relationship building Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) practices which could build business partners’ loyalty in the SCM context. A proposed model was developed with variables including mutual benefits/fairness, trust, retention, loyalty, and switching cost. Previous research examined the partial relationships in the proposed model, and no research has included the switching cost with all the variables in the proposed model. The quantitative methodology involving a survey method was employed for this exploratory study. The hypothesised relationships were partially supported depending on the type of SCM. The most significant variable having an effect on the switching cost was also different depending on the type of SCM. The SCM practice applied from Human CRM (i.e. emotional connections) in a business-to-business environment was the least effective SCM for loyalty but had a significant impact on switching cost.

Dynamic game of corporate social responsibility in a supply chain with competition

In the background of economic globalization, the rapid development of information technology and the individualization of customer demand make it difficult for a single enterprise to cope with the increasingly complex market competition. The traditional competition mode between enterprises is difficult to continue. Instead, it is the competition between one supply chain and another supply chain that becomes important. To obtain a sustainable competitive advantage, corporate social responsibility has gradually become the focus of supply chain management. In reality, enterprises in supply chains generally have a long-term, dynamic and stable cooperative relationship, and their corporate social responsibilities have complexity characteristics, which would change with time. Therefore, it is more practical to conduct a dynamic research on the social responsibility decision-making in competitive supply chains under the continuous time background. This study contributes a new approach to the literatures on competitive supply chains and corporate social responsibilities in supply chains by extending the static perspective to a dynamic one, so as to analyze the application of corporate social responsibilities in competitive supply chains. By constructing competition models with two two-echelon supply chains, this paper uses differential game theory to study the decision-making related to corporate social responsibility in supply chains in three situations: decentralized decision-making, centralized decision-making and combined decision-making. This paper determine and contrast the optimal price and corporate social responsibility decision-making in each situation, and analyze the impacts of corporate social responsibility, supply chain reputation and supply chain competition on supply chain revenues. Through simulation analysis, this paper find that corporate social responsibility is an effective tool to realize sustainable supply chain. The corporate social responsibility effect of the centralized supply chain is the greatest. Consumer social responsibility preference, corporate social responsibility efficiency and competition intensity are positively correlated with corporate social responsibility effort. Discount rate and CSR cost coefficient are negatively correlated with corporate social responsibility effort. Finally, some managerial implications are put forward based on the research results.

Carbon Footprint Management within a Supply Chain – A Case Study

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to analyze the carbon footprint in a supply chain with the focus on distribution operations. We use the primary data from a case study conducted in the apparel industry. Design/Methodology/Approach: Comparative studies of the results of two existing CO2 measuring standards are presented for the same supply chain. We have chosen the apparel industry due to the fact that the returns in the apparel industry reach up to 40% and they contribute to the total level of CO2 emissions from distribution operations. Findings: In practice the level of the CO2 emissions depend on the logistics parameters, like distance, load factor and transshipment schedule. The methods for the measuring of the carbon footprint do not fully reflect the real life needs. The reported level of CO2 emissions depends on the used method for calculation. Thus, the choice of the calculation method should be carefully justified by a company. Practical Implications: The case study method allows the application of US EPA and UK DEFRA carbon footprint calculation methods in real-world conditions . Originality/Value: The papers on the CO2 emissions in a supply chain management focus mainly on the manufacturing and sourcing operations. The studies on the Carbon footprint, which are related to the distribution operations are very limited. We contribute to this gap, by providing the empirical results.

Collective action in SCM: a call for activist research

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the current focus of supply chain management (SCM) research; it considers field level and societal constraints and consequently the potential for change. It details the underlying assumptions in the field, considering the dominant paradigms and stakeholders, and how this has shaped the research we have engaged in as a community of scholars.Design/methodology/approachThis is a reflective inquiry that seeks to deconstruct the dominant discourses and paradigms in SCM. It offers alternative avenues of inquiry to “traditional” research, considering how different questions, perspectives and approaches might yield different learning for the field. offering alternative avenues to traditional research.FindingsThis is a call for collective action, for solidarity, for a re-imagining of what research in SCM could look like. Research activism is challenging and potentially risky but necessary for the research community to engage in, particularly in light of the global societal grand challenges. Change can take place in the SCM field through collective action and solidarity. Three levels of activism are explored here – acting to solve the grand challenges, acting to change the field and acting as individuals.Originality/valueThis is a “speak-out” piece, which embraces and encourages reflexivity, new methods of doing and writing research as well as different perspectives, and especially a consideration for context and multiple players in the supply chain. The authors contend that it is urgent to re-appropriate our own agency as SCM researchers.

Combined Location-Inventory Optimization of Deteriorating Products Supply Chain Based on CQMIP under Stochastic Environment

The design and optimization of combined location-inventory model for deteriorating products are a main focus in supply chain management. There were many combined location-inventory design models in this field, but these models are under the assumptions of adequate capacity facilities, invariable lead time, unique product, and uncorrelated retailer’s demands. These assumptions have a big gap in the practical situation. In this paper, we design a combined location-inventory model for deteriorating products under capacitated facilities, stochastic lead time, multiple products, and correlated retailers’ stochastic demands assumptions. These constraints are near to actual supply chain circumstance. The problem is modeled as conic quadratic mix-integer programming (CQMIP) to minimize the total expected cost. We explain how to formulate these problems as conic quadratic mixed-integer problems, and in order to obtain better computational results we use extended cover cuts. Simultaneously we compare our method with the previous Lagrange methods; the result is that the new CQMIP method can get better solution.

Eco-design practices towards sustainable supply chain management: interpretive structural modelling (ISM) approach

Due to increasing emphasis on sustainable practices, many organisations have attempted to leverage their supply chain performance towards balancing triple bottom line dimensions (economic, environmental and social perspectives). This paper, therefore, determines the priorities of sustainable supply chain management focusing on eco-design. Interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and Matriced’ Impacts Croise’s Multiplication Appliquée a UN Classement (MIMAC) are used to identify the hierarchical structure of the relationships among eco-design dimensions, and to analyse characteristics power of each dimension on supporting eco-design practices. The relationships and characteristics power of each dimension are used to determine indicators that are effective in enhancement of eco-design practice, evaluated through sustainable supply chain performance. Results indicate that product deployment is an important approach for improving eco-design practice towards sustainable supply chain management. This emphasises the purpose and impact of eco-design on sequential supply chain activities at deployment phase. Further research is required to make an overall assessment of eco-design practices across range of manufacturing industries, given the current research is based on inputs from a limited number of experts of selected organisations.

Comparative analysis of port competency requirements in Vietnam and Korea

ABSTRACTMuch research has been conducted recently on the changing role of ports in the context of international logistics and supply chain management focusing on issues such as port efficiency and competitiveness. However, little research has been found on the critical aspect that contributes to making a port efficient and effective, especially, in the new era: the port human capital. As seaports play a critical role in the supply chain, it is thus important that the port personnel possess necessary competencies to contribute to port efficiency and turn the port into an effective supply chain partner. In this paper, this research issue is explored through a conceptual model of competencies and validated empirically by a survey with port executives in Vietnam and Korea. As a result, important managerial insights are drawn to the design and implementation of human resource development policy for ports.

Risk Factor Management: a Mechanism of Supporting Supply Chain Resilience

Abstract Supply chain assumes a unique business process without inter-company boundaries. Each supply chain partner is important for achievement of customer requirements. On the one hand, supply chain is an inexhaustible source of competitive advantage, created by the companies, which constitute it. However, on the other hand, due to its complexness, supply chain is an easy target of numerous factors, which jeopardize its competitiveness. Some of those factors are: turbulence, deliberate threats, external pressures, resource limits, sensitivity, and supplier/customer disruptions. Successful dealing with those factors assumes establishment of mechanisms for increasing supply chain resilience. Many researches indicate that some factors have greater influence on supply chain disruption and discontinuance. If those factors can be isolated, it will be easier to manage them or to avoid their influence. Therefore, the objective of the research presented in this paper is identification of the most frequent causes of supply chain disturbances, as a first step for developing supply chain resilience. According to the research results, the authors suggest what should be a primary focus of supply chain management, dealing with issues of resilience. Also, the authors indicate which characteristics (capability factors) supply chains have to have in order to be considered resistant.

Effect of Business Model Complexity on Supply Chain Management: A Case Study of Apparel Value Networks

 Abstract—Focusing on the impact of business model (BM) on supply chain management (SCM), the paper takes a case study approach with six global apparel value networks to quantify the complexity created by the BM of a value network and to assess how SCM orientations differ among value networks owing to internal and external BM complexities. Results reveal a clear distinction among value networks in terms of BM complexities. Further, there are significant differences in areas of focus in SCM between high complex and less complex group proving that BM complexity matters significantly to SCM.

Human resources health supply chains and access to essential medicines

With up to a third of the world’s population with limited access to essential medicines, it is clear that by 2015 many countries will not be able to achieve their health related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) [1]. Of the eight MDGs, four explicitly discusses the availability of medicines at the primary care or service delivery point level [2]. It is pertinent because without access to and appropriate use of quality medicines, health systems would lose their ability to meet healthcare needs. Though affordability of medicines and high prices are frequently highlighted as challenges to access to essential medicines, the weakness of health supply chains has remained a consistent barrier across a range of low and middle -income countries [3-5]. Despite major investment over the past decades, national supply chains are often unable to respond effectively to existing demands, putting health outcomes at risk. Since the first Global Forum on Human Resources for Health in Kampala in 2008 [6], the human resource focus has been on the doctors, nurses, midwives and community health workers. However, there is little focus on human resources to improve and sustain health supply chains. A focus on the human resources is needed and in this context, in 2011, the People that Deliver (PtD) Initiative was founded. The International Pharmacy Federation (FIP) provided further evidence of the need for a HR focus in SCM through their Global Workforce Report in 2012 [7]. In that report they make a link between a lack of pharmacy personnel and inequalities in access to medicines. For example in Sub-Saharan Africa, on average less than one pharmacist was observed for 10,000 population [8]. In October 2014 the 2 Global Conference on Human Resources for Supply Chain Management (SCM) was held to demonstrate the achievement PtD has made in the recent years [www.peoplethatdeliver.org]. Launched in 2011, the PtD Initiative is a global partnership of over 80 organizations who have the joint vision of a world where an agenda for national health supply chain workforce is developed. (www.peoplethatdeliver.org). Specifically the goals of PtD are:

Lean healthcare supply chain management: minimizing waste and costs

The purpose of this research is to investigate the management models applied in the supply chain providing services in healthcare organizations, considering the lenses of lean. The aim of this is to develop a model of supply chain management focusing on the identification and minimization of waste, assisting in decision making and contributing to the quality of services and as a consequence the reduction of the costs involved in healthcare supply chain. The philosophies of continuous improvement and lean techniques have a role to play in helping healthcare to provide quality service and support to reduce costs in the current budget constraints. In the supply chain of hospitals the financial costs can be around 40% of its budget (MASOUMI et al. 2012; SOUZA et al., 2013). This article sheds light on the improvement in decision making and the effect of reducing costs in the healthcare supply chain. In this sense, the research intend to expand knowledge related to supply chain management in the area of provision of healthcare services through the use of the philosophy of continuous improvement and lean principles, helping healthcare to provide quality service within their current budget constraints.

Lexicographic max–min approach for an integrated vendor-managed inventory problem

Simultaneous reductions in inventory of raw materials, work-in-process, and finished items have recently become a major focus in supply chain management. Vendor-managed inventory is a well-known practice in supply chain collaborations, in which manufacturer manages inventory at the retailer and decides about the time and replenishment. In this paper, an integrated vendor-managed inventory model is presented for a two-level supply chain structured as a single capacitated manufacturer at the first level and multiple retailers at the second level. Manufacturer produces different products where demands are assumed decreasing functions of retail prices. In this chain, both the manufacturer and retailers contribute to determine their own decision variables in order to maximize their benefits. While previous research on this topic mainly included a single objective optimization model where the objective was either to minimize total supply chain costs or to maximize total supply chain benefits, in this research a fair profit contract is designed for the manufacturer and the retailers. The problem is first formulated into a bi-objective non-linear mathematical model and then the lexicographic max–min approach is utilized to obtain a fair non-dominated solution. Finally, different test problems are investigated in order to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed methodology and to evaluate the solution obtained.

Impact of ERP implementation on supply chain performance

This study focuses on the impact of enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation on supply chain performance. The focus of ERP is optimisation of resources within the business, whereas the focus of supply chain management is optimisation of resources within the supply chain. ERP integrates all the business processes in order to improve efficiency of the organisation. This study is an effort to analyse how ERP implementation impacts the performance of the supply chain. The research study is based on case study method. The method uses semi structured interviews with selected professionals from different sector. The research question was to find out the impact of ERP on the performance of the supply chain. The literature review and semi structure interviews clearly support the fact that supply chain performance is enhanced and improved with the implementation of ERP.

Perspectives in Oil and Gas Supply Chain Management

In this globalization era, petroleum companies are one of the dynamic supply chain entities, which require a dynamic process of capabilities. Companies may encounter problems related to the dynamic process in firm’s capabilities. Such dynamic process requires simultaneous acquisition and continuous re-evaluation of partners, technologies and organizational structures. However, the more flexible the firms deal with the problems in their engagement of stakeholders, the more likely for them to explore, create, and invest in the dynamic capabilities, hence higher performance level over time. Therefore, due to their high degree of uncertainties circulate through the supply chain network; as a result, petroleum companies require dynamic supply chain capabilities. Motivated by the complexity of uncertainty in the petroleum companies and its typical characteristic of the supply chain, this study intends to understand the perspective of dynamic supply chain management focusing on the learning orientation. This study employs interpretive paradigm where it will guide towards rigor qualitative methodology. This study also provides rich and thick description of the dynamic supply chain capabilities where the outcome will contribute to the managerial and theoretical perspective of supply chain management in oil and gas industry.

Framework of Manufacturer and Supplier Relationship in the Manufactured Housing Industry

AbstractIn an increasingly competitive marketplace, purchasing and supplier relationships are becoming a strategic function and a key factor for supply chain management in the manufactured housing (MH) industry. However, little research has been conducted in the field of supply chain management focusing on the manufactured housing industry. In this paper, key supply chain relationships and the critical issues in terms of supplier relationship have been identified, and a new framework of a supplier relationship management (SRM) called the manufacturer-supplier relationship optimization model (MSROM) has been developed. Specifically, the MSROM framework identified a variable supplier lead time, an inconsistent safety stock level, and a poor supplier evaluation process as the key constraints of the efficient supply chain performance. As a result, taking into account the supplier’s performance, a theoretical optimal level of safety stock was investigated and a new algorithm that adjusts lead time forecast wit...

Making connections: a review of supply chain management and sustainability literature

PurposeThe objective of this paper is to investigate systematically the discipline of supply chain management (SCM) within the context of sustainability. The two concepts are increasingly aligned, and sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) represents an evolving field where they explicitly interact. Given their complex and holistic nature, breaking down the literature to understand its structures, processes, connections and limitations can provide an objective view of the status of research in these highly important fields, identifying key areas for future research/theory development.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review of current SCM literature is carried out, specifically in relation to the social and environmental dimensions of sustainability.FindingsSSCM and the integration of sustainability into supply chains is a significant but evolving field evidenced by a current bias in the literature towards theory development and highly qualitative research methods. The environmental dimension is significantly better represented in the literature through specific processes at all stages of the supply chain. The social dimension is recognised, but receives less emphasis than expected given SCM's focus on interaction, relationships and communication. These two dimensions are treated separately in the literature with limited insight on how to integrate them and current SCM and sustainability research provides limited practical outputs.Research limitations/implicationsThe review focuses on environmental and social sustainability within supply chains without explicit consideration of the economic dimension.Practical implicationsThe review highlights the key themes and issues for supply chain managers faced with implementing sustainability. It also illustrates a number of areas for future research, along with the need for researchers to develop more practical tools for implementing SSCM.Originality/valueIndicates the extent to which sustainability is integrated within SCM and where the research emphasis currently lies. The environmental dimension is significantly more defined and developed in the literature. SCM literature emphasises the importance of long‐term supplier relationships, but this “people‐focused” approach does not appear to translate into socially responsible supply chains. It suggests that the more process‐driven nature of environmental sustainability makes it easier to put into supply chain practice. There is also limited research or evidence on how the two dimensions can be integrated despite recognition of their inter‐relationship.

Influence of resource‐based capability and inter‐organizational coordination on SCM

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate which firm‐level antecedent – resource‐based capability or inter‐organizational coordination – contributes to a firm's supply chain management (SCM) focus.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual framework of antecedents of SCM focus and several research hypotheses posit that for a thorough understanding of the behavior of an organization in the supply chain, it is necessary to consider two sets of antecedents simultaneously. Hypotheses are tested using confirmatory factor analysis and multiple linear regression on a set of survey data collected in the USA, Europe and New Zealand.FindingsThe analysis of survey data validates the major premise that inter‐organizational coordination plays an important role in explaining the SCM focus of a firm. Research results validate the positive relationships between the proposed antecedents and a firm's SCM focus.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the research design incorporates extensive literature reviews, it does not capture every aspect of complex inter‐organizational coordination. Future efforts should establish a valid, reliable instrument to measure the underlying constructs.Practical implicationsThis study shows that a firm possesses inimitable internal resource‐based capabilities and external coordination mechanisms that are unique to each firm. Each of the resource‐based capabilities helps to integrate the various internal functional areas within an organization to increase efficiency and reduce waste. The external coordination mechanisms help a firm to link its processes seamlessly with upstream and downstream supply chain members. The paper also shows that product innovation is the only resourced‐based capability that predicts SCM focus when inter‐organizational coordination mechanisms are considered.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the extant literature by integrating the traditional resource‐based view of a firm with inter‐organizational coordination to examine crucial factors that precede a firm's SCM focus. Both perspectives have considerable merit, so for a thorough understanding of a firm's SCM focus, it is necessary to consider these factors simultaneously.

On-demand e-supply chain integration: A multi-agent constraint-based approach

With e-business emerging as a key enabler to drive supply chains, the focus of supply chain management has been shifted from production efficiency to customer-driven and partnership synchronization approaches. This strategic shift depends on the match between the demands and offerings that deliver the services. To achieve this, we need to coordinate the flow of information among the services, and link their business processes under various constraints. Existing approaches to this problem have relied on complete information of services and resources, and have failed to adequately address the dynamics and uncertainties of the operating environments. The real-world situation is complicated as a result of undetermined requirements of services involved in the chain, unpredictable solutions contributed by service providers, and dynamic selection and aggregation of solutions to services. This paper examines an agent-mediated approach to on-demand e-business supply chain integration. Each agent works as a service broker, exploring individual service decisions as well as interacting with each other for achieving compatibility and coherence among the decisions of all services. Based on the framework, a prototype has been implemented with simulated experiments highlighting the effectiveness of the approach.

Masters Degree In Management Information Systems With A Supply Chain Management Focus

A graduate curriculum in Management Information Systems with a Supply Chain Management focus is presented. The motivation for this endeavor stems from the fact that the global scope of modern business organizations and the competitive environment in which they operate, requires an information system leveraged supply chain management system (SCM) to ensure the efficient delivery of the right product, at the right place, at the right time, in the right quantity, and at a competitive price to the customer.