Implications For Supply Chain Management Research Articles

How Can Vietnamese Companies Benefit from Management Accounting Systems and Supply Chain Integration Under Business Environment Uncertainty?

We develop and test a moderated mediation model to explain how management accounting systems impact supply chain integration and firm performance, and how perceived environmental uncertainty influences these relationships. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the survey data from 158 supply chain firms in Vietnam. Results indicate that the use of management accounting systems increases the extent of supply chain integration, which in turn enhances firm performance. Furthermore, perceived environmental uncertainty moderates the positive associations between the use of management accounting systems, supply chain integration, and firm performance. This study makes several contributions to existing literature. First, it elucidates the role of supply chain integration in promoting partner integration in the Vietnamese context. Second, it reveals the performance implications of the interaction between management accounting systems and supply chain integration. Our findings have important implications for supply chain management because they emphasize the need to develop effective management accounting systems and supply chain integration strategies in the context of environmental uncertainty.

Industry 4.0 Innovation: A Systematic Literature Review on the Role of Blockchain Technology in Creating Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing Facilities

Industry 4.0 has revolutionized manufacturing processes and facilities through the creation of smart and sustainable production facilities. Blockchain technology (BCT) has emerged as an invaluable asset within Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4.0), offering increased transparency, security, and traceability across supply chains. This systematic literature review explores the role of BCT in creating smart and sustainable manufacturing facilities, while exploring its implications for supply chain management (SCM). Through a detailed examination of 82 research articles, this review highlights three areas where BCT can have a dramatic effect on smart and sustainable manufacturing: firstly, BCT can promote green production methods by supporting efficient resource use, waste reduction strategies and eco-friendly production methods; and secondly, it allows companies to implement smart and eco-friendly manufacturing practices through BCT solutions. BCT promotes intelligent manufacturing systems by facilitating real-time data sharing, predictive maintenance, and automated decision-making. Furthermore, BCT strengthens SCM by increasing visibility, traceability, and collaboration between partners of SC operations. The review also highlights the potential limitations of BCT, such as scalability challenges and the need for standardized protocols. Future research should focus on addressing these limitations and further exploring the potential of BCT in IR4.0.

Heuristic approach for optimising reliable supply chain network using drones in last-mile delivery under uncertainty

ABSTRACT In addressing the challenges of last-mile logistics, the reliability of the supply chain network becomes paramount. These challenges are intensified due to drone performance limitations and various uncertainties in supply chain operations. While recent literature recognises the potential of drones for last-mile delivery, it falls short in effectively considering these uncertainties in drone-enabled supply chain models. Our research addresses this gap with two major contributions: first, a novel stochastic mixed-integer programming model is developed to construct a feasible delivery network, including warehouses and recharging stations, enhancing both coverage and reliability. Second, a modification in the genetic algorithm by considering each scenario independently improves computational efficiency, outperforming commercial software by an average of 40% and up to 55%. Empirical findings reveal that strategic investments in system hardening can yield substantial improvements in reliability. Despite the absence of real-world stochastic parameters as a limitation, this research pioneers the design of reliable networks under uncertainties and extends drone coverage through strategic charging stations. This work sets a significant milestone for future optimization in drone logistics, offering practical implications for supply chain managers considering drone adoption.

Unveiling the Influence: Exploring the Impact of Interrelationships among E-Commerce Supply Chain Members on Supply Chain Sustainability

This study explores the critical role of interrelationships among e-commerce supply chain members in shaping sustainability outcomes. It adopts a qualitative approach, drawing from Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) and Resource Dependency Theory (RDT) to gain a deeper understanding of sustainability within e-commerce supply chains. In a comprehensive investigation involving 35 key stakeholders from prominent e-commerce companies in China, such as Amazon, Alibaba, Suning.com, Shein, and Wayfair, this research examines how robust interrelationships, characterized by collaboration, knowledge exchange, trust-building, and joint problem-solving, facilitate efficient resource utilization, innovation, waste reduction, and enhanced social and environmental responsibility throughout the supply chain. The findings underline the practical implications for supply chain managers and practitioners, emphasizing the need to foster these robust interrelationships through effective communication, trust-building, collaboration, and information sharing as tangible strategies to elevate sustainability performance and gain a competitive edge in the dynamic e-commerce landscape. The insights are based on structured, in-depth interviews conducted in English with participants familiar with the language, lasting approximately 35 to 55 min.

Supply chain from start to finish: the implications of supply chain management for entrepreneurs

Supply chain from start to finish: the implications of supply chain management for entrepreneurs

What drives the dissemination of CSR practices in global value chains? An institutional and psychological perspective

This study investigates how supply chain professionals in buying and supplying firms are motivated to engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices within global value chains (GVCs). Based on the multiple needs theory of justice, social exchange theory, and the institution-based view, we develop hypotheses and test them against data collected from 201 supply chain professionals. We find that buyers’ intentions to cascade CSR practices to suppliers is particularly driven by instrumental and relational motives. In contrast, suppliers’ intentions to engage in CSR is largely determined by moral outrage. Moreover, significant effects are revealed for the institutional conditions on buyers’ CSR cascading intentions and on suppliers’ CSR implementation intentions. The misalignment between buyers’ and suppliers’ motives to engage in CSR activities is discussed as a major challenge of cascading CSR practices in GVCs. The study contributes to the international business literature by combining an institutional and psychological examination of individuals’ motivation to engage in CSR along GVCs. Moreover, we derive practical implications for supply chain managers.

The Impacts of Supply Chain Capabilities, Visibility, Resilience on Supply Chain Performance and Firm Performance

This study explores the significance of two determinants: Supply Chain Capabilities and Supply Chain Visibility, in the intricate interplay among Supply Chain Resilience, Supply Chain Performance, and Firm Performance. A dataset comprising 221 participants from Vietnamese garment manufacturing firms was gathered and subjected to analysis using the PLS-SEM approach, revealing insights into the modeled complex relationships. The research findings reveal that visibility significantly influences supply chain resilience; while the hypotheses of a positive impact of supply chain visibility and supply chain resilience on firm performance have been rejected. Interestingly, these findings underscore the significant influence of indirect relationships mediated by factors, such as supply chain resilience and supply chain performance. Hence, this study bridges a gap in the existing body of literature and offers practical implications for supply chain management, particularly concerning performance measurement challenges in this sector. The article suggests that the Vietnamese garment supply chain could enhance supply chain and firm performance by focusing on supply chain capabilities and visibility.

Trends in weather-related marine cargo insurance claims: A South African perspective

Background: Marine cargo insurance covers the loss or damage to goods while in transit. It is an important supply chain risk management tool for organisations involved in international trade, especially in regions where cargo insurance penetration is low, and protection gaps are high. However, marine cargo insurance faces new challenges because of increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events. This study focuses on the case of South Africa: a developing country with a strategic role in connecting Africa with the global market.Objectives: The research analyses the trends, differences, and seasonality of weather-related marine cargo insurance claims in South Africa from 2013 to 2022.Method: Statistical and general claims analysis was performed on a master dataset of 17 727 claims to answer the three research questions related to the research objectives.Results: The results show that weather-related marine cargo insurance claims have been increasing over the past decade, creating challenges and disruptions to the supply chain network in South Africa. Furthermore, this research shows that weather-related claims have higher average values and follow a seasonal pattern compared with non-weather-related events on supply chains in South Africa.Conclusion: This research reveals the growing impact of weather-related events in South Africa.Contribution: It provides practical and theoretical implications for supply chain managers and insurers to manage weather-related risks more effectively and proactively contributes to the literature by offering empirical insights from a developing country perspective, and provides considerations for future work.

Blockchain technology adaptation and organizational inertia: moderating role between knowledge management processes and supply chain resilience

PurposeSupply chain resilience and knowledge management (KM) processes have received increasing attention from researchers and practitioners. Nevertheless, previous studies often treat the two streams of literature independently. Drawing on the knowledge-based theory, this study aims to reconcile these two different streams of literature and examine how and when KM processes influence supply chain resilience.Design/methodology/approachThis research develops a conceptual model to test a sample of data from 203 Chinese manufacturing firms using a structural equation modeling method. Specifically, the current study empirically examines how KM processes affect different forms of supply chain resilience (supply chain readiness, responsiveness and recovery) and examines the moderating effect of blockchain technology adaptation and organizational inertia on the relationship between KM processes and supply chain resilience.FindingsThe findings show that KM processes positively affect three dimensions of supply chain resilience, i.e., supply chain readiness, responsiveness and recovery. Besides, the study reveals that blockchain technology adoption positively moderates the relationships between KM processes and supply chain resilience, whereas organizational inertia negatively moderates these above relationships.Originality/valueThis research linked the two research areas of supply chain resilience and KM processes, further bridging the gap in the research exploration of KM in the supply chain field. Next, this study contributes to supply chain resilience research by investigating how KM systems positively impact supply chain readiness, responsiveness and recovery. In addition, this study found a moderating effect of blockchain technology adaption and organizational inertia on the relationship between KM processes and supply chain resilience. These findings provide a reference for Chinese manufacturing firms to strengthen supply chain resilience, achieve secure supply chain operations and gain a competitive advantage in the supply chain. This studys’findings advance the understanding of supply chain resilience and provide practical implications for supply chain managers.

Implications of Supply Chain Management and Total Quality Management Implementation for Operational Performance

Implications of Supply Chain Management and Total Quality Management Implementation for Operational Performance

Different types of innovations and dynamic capabilities in achieving timely responsiveness: Some implications for supply chain management

Timely responsiveness (TR) enables firms to outperform their competitors by responding rapidly to market changes and seizing opportunities promptly. However, how firms can achieve TR remains poorly understood. This study investigates the ways in which firms can improve TR and draws out the implications of these in managing supply chains. Specifically, this study examines the relationships between dynamic capabilities (DCs), namely, sensing and reconfiguring capabilities, different types of innovations, and TR. The findings show that the development of product, process, and management innovations improves TR. Sensing and reconfiguring capabilities are identified as core DCs that drive the development of different types of innovations.

Impacts of IT capability and supply chain collaboration on supply chain resilience: empirical evidence from China in COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeBuilding supply chain resilience is increasingly recognized as an effective strategy to deal with supply chain challenges, risks and disruptions. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how to build supply chain resilience and whether supply chain resilience could achieve a competitive advantage.Design/methodology/approachBy analyzing the data collected from 216 firms in China, the current study empirically examines how information technology (IT) capability and supply chain collaboration affect different forms of supply chain resilience (external resilience and internal resilience) and examines the performance implications of these two forms of supply chain resilience.FindingsResults show that IT capability is positively related to external resilience, whereas supply chain collaboration is positively related to internal resilience. The combination of IT capability and supply chain collaboration is positively related to external resilience. In addition, internal resilience is positively related to firm performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis study used only cross-sectional data from China for hypothesis testing. Future studies could utilise longitudinal data and research other countries/regions.Practical implicationsThe findings systematically assess how IT capability and supply chain collaboration contribute to supply chain resilience and firm performance. The results provide a benchmark of supply chain resilience improvement that can be expected from IT capability and supply chain collaboration.Originality/valueThe study findings advance the understanding of supply chain resilience and provide practical implications for supply chain managers.

A scenario-based experimental study of buyer supplier relationship commitment in the context of a psychological contract breach: Implications for supply chain management

Mutually beneficial long-term relationships between supply chain partners are the key to supply chain performance. However, these relationships may sometimes be undermined due to unforeseen events (e.g., supply chain disruptions). This study aims to originally examine the buyer-supplier relationship (BSR) commitment if the buyer's psychological contract is breached by the supplier. The study originally examines the effect of supplier-induced disruptions over a new product development project on the buyer's relationship commitment. It also evaluates the impact of the repair strategies employed by the supplier on the commitment to repair. These relationships are examined on two levels. First is the case where the buyer's focal manager has a cooperative or confrontational relationship with the supplier's focal manager. Second is the case where a prior (i.e., pre-disruption) relationship between the buyer and the supplier was collaborative or adversarial. We studied the research model using experimental methods on a sample of 204 supply chain managers from Pakistani industries. The results of this study show that the initial interpersonal and interorganizational relationships affected the response of the buyer when its psychological contract with the supplier was breached. The repair strategy of financial compensation is shown to have a considerable influence on repairing the commitment level of the buyer.

Continuous manufacturing technologies in upstream pharmaceutical supply chains: Combining engineering and managerial criteria

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in upstream pharmaceutical supply chains (PSC). One is that the global supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) is overly dependent on few locations and large‐scale batch manufacturing. Regulators hope to enable more dependable location decisions and improved processing quality with the adoption of advanced technologies such as process intensification through continuous manufacturing (CM). Conceptual work suggests that the benefits of shifting from batch to CM accrue end‐to‐end across the PSC. Yet detailed quantitative information about CM is limited at an early stage of evaluation, and too specialised to inform managerial decisions about PSC reconfiguration. Supply chain and engineering criteria are rarely combined in the early‐stage evaluation of alternative CM technologies. Extant CM research typically overlooks implications for supply chain managers. To address the current gap, this article evaluates, at an early stage of adoption, alternative CM reactor technologies for the synthesis of APIs in selected therapeutic areas. With evidence from secondary data, relevant technologies and criteria are identified, and their relative importance is evaluated in a semi‐quantitative fashion following analytical hierarchy process (AHP) principles, ensuring that findings are intelligible to both engineers and managers. The proposed empirical work enriches previous conceptual frameworks predicated on volume‐variety considerations. Specifically, findings suggest that, all things considered, microreactor technologies outperform alternatives. However, PSC managerial considerations introduce nuances in specific therapeutic areas, for example, antivirals where a tension between complex chemistry and the need for flexibility in unit operations may favour batch manufacturing. For analgesics the need to exploit the existing manufacturing base whilst addressing inventory reduction favours technologies that incorporate elements of batch and CM. The proposed analysis is in line with real‐world decisions that global medicines manufacturers are increasingly facing, as governments seek to develop local health countermeasures to the COVID‐19 pandemic in the absence of detailed information.

Two-period pricing strategy in a supply chain with intertemporal and horizontal reference price effects

In practice, before purchasing products, customers would compare the current price with past observed prices (referred to as the intertemporal reference price effect) and retail prices of other sellers (referred to as the horizontal reference price effect). This study considers a two-period supply chain with one manufacturer who sells a product through two competing retailers. We assume that the manufacturer acts as the Stackelberg game leader, and both retailers act as followers. The manufacturer can quote the same or different wholesale prices for the two retailers, whereas both retailers can employ a pre-announced or responsive pricing strategy. We study the impact of intertemporal and horizontal reference price effects on the selection of pricing formats. Our results show that both retailers and manufacturers can benefit from intertemporal effects. However, the horizontal effect hurts the retailer’s profit, but still improves that of the manufacturer. In equilibrium, the manufacturer sets different wholesale prices to retailers who would employ the pre-announced pricing strategy. Finally, we find that the intertemporal reference price effect plays a key role in the pricing strategy equilibrium of the manufacturer and retailers. Our results complement the dynamic pricing strategy literature and provide new managerial implications for supply chain management. Highlights Pricing format selection problems with IRPE and HRPE are investigated. IRPE hurts the payoff of both retailers but improves the manufacturer. In equilibrium, the manufacturer prefers the strategy “DP”. IRPE plays an important role in pricing format selecting than HRPE.

Curling linearity into circularity: The benefits of formal scavenging in closed-loop settings

Scavengers – actors who collect and redistribute waste into circular ecosystems to reuse or recycle it – may improve resource availability and sustainability in the firms' procurement business process. In Closed-Loop Supply Chains, their role is crucial to the business stability. Indeed, governments and the private sectors are encouraged to formalize them, that is, to institutionalize and regulate them and to provide them with the appropriate organization, training, and infrastructures. Yet, to our best knowledge, the scientific literature has not empirically investigated how formal scavengers may advantage those firms that decide to involve them in their procurement process. To do so, a case study was developed in an Italian Pulp & Paper firm that operates in closed-loop settings and that integrated one formal scavenger into its own business to feed its paper mill – one of the biggest in Europe. The findings show that the introduction of the scavenger entailed four benefits: procurement risk mitigation, lower environmental impact, lower procurement costs, and better quality assurance. By considering conservative estimates related to purchasing the waste paper from the secondary raw materials market on a one-year time window, the scavenger has led to a 7.2 % reduction in the procurement costs and a 21 % improvement in the CO2 emissions. Finally, implications for Supply Chain Management and policymaking were outlined.

Customer and tax behaviour: how customer concentration affect suppliers’ tax avoidance

ABSTRACT This study discusses, from the perspective of the supplier-customer relationship, whether and how firms’ customer concentration affects corporate tax avoidance in the context of China. The results indicate that firms with higher customer concentration are more likely to engage in tax avoidance. Higher customer concentration increases firms’ operational risks, and hence, they tend to conduct more aggressive tax activities to meet the increasing demand for internal liquidity. Additionally, we find that the positive association between corporate customer concentration and tax avoidance is stronger in non-state-owned enterprises. Moreover, when firms face more cash flow volatility, less cash holdings, and a poorer external legal environment, aggressive tax activities induced by concentrated customers are more pronounced. Our findings not only extend the growing literature on the consequences of customer concentration for firms, but also provide new evidence on their motivation for corporate tax avoidance, with significant implications for supply chain management and corporate governance.

Analysis of supply chain resilience barriers in Indian automotive company using total interpretive structural modelling

PurposeThe study tries to identify the barriers influencing supply chain resilience and examine the inter-relationships between them. These relationships are built on the basis of how one barrier drives or is driven by the changes in another barriers.Design/methodology/approachIn the first phase, literature review and with due discussion with experts, the barriers have been identified and shortlisted for an Indian automotive case company. In the second phase, total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) has been applied to examine inter-relationships between the barriers for an Indian automobile case company. Matrice d'impacts croisés multiplication appliquée á un classment (MICMAC) analysis has also been performed to analyse the driving and dependence power of the barriers.FindingsIn total, 11 barriers are identified from the first phase of the study. In the second phase, the TISM digraph is created which qualitatively explains the reason behind how one barrier leads to another. MICMAC analysis classifies these variables in four clusters namely autonomous, linkage, dependent and independent. These clusters characterise the barriers based on their driving and dependent power which helps managers in strategically tackling them while taking understanding from the TISM digraph.Research limitations/implicationsThree research implications can be made from the study. First, a comprehensive definition of supply chain which helps in understanding of resilience based on disruption phases and recovery. Second, 11 barriers are identified which hinder resilience in automotive sector. Their relationships are modelled using TISM which also gives why a particular relationship exists. Last, MICMAC analysis classifies barriers based on how high or low the driving and dependence power exists.Practical implicationsThe study offers significant implications for supply chain managers helping them in building resilience by identifying barriers and reducing their effect. Barriers are identified for case company which might help managers to tackle them during disruptions. The final TISM digraph depicts the “why” between the inter-relationships between the barriers to resilient supply chains. TISM shows that non-commitment of top management is the major root barrier which has been causing the other problems. MICMAC analysis is also performed along with discussion as to how autonomous, linkage, dependent and independent barriers can be tackled to build resilience.Originality/valueTISM is considered as an effective methodology for conceptual framework development as it also explains “why” between the relationships besides explaining the “what” as against ISM. Identification and understanding of barriers and their interrelationship will help supply chain managers to analyse the influence and inter-dependence of barriers on the resilience of the supply chain. Such understanding will help in mitigating/averting these barriers hence improving the resilience capability. It also adds to the knowledge base in the area of supply chain resilience where several authors have pointed the lack of research.

Contrasting supply chain traceability and supply chain visibility: are they interchangeable?

PurposeSupply chain traceability and supply chain visibility have become a critical element for the effective management of contemporary complex supply chains. At their core is information sharing, which has been acknowledged as a key prerequisite for logistics and supply chain performance, but whose notional underpinnings have not been delineated fully, leading to interchangeable deployment of these terms. Addressing the shortcoming, this paper aims to establish a contrast between the two notions.Design/methodology/approachDrawing from systematic review protocols, a multi-disciplinary review scope is constructed wherein the synthesis is strategized to primarily channel implications for the scholarship of logistics and supply chain management. The review is aimed at addressing two research objectives: (1) how the notions of traceability and visibility in supply chain management develop contrast in terms of their thematic emphasis and (2) to attain an integrative understanding of the notional convergence and divergence between supply chain traceability and visibility for raising strategic recommendations.FindingsThe review outcomes help contrast both the convergence and the divergence between traceability and visibility in the supply chain environment, and the differentiated but fundamental role that information sharing plays within these notions to outline why they are not interchangeable.Originality/valueThe originality of the findings lies in the conceptual synthesis of the relevant literature from both technological and non-technological perspectives to ultimately draw logistics and supply chain management implications. The review also points out key strategic considerations to demarcate the notional boundaries of traceability and visibility in future research.

Implications of Supply Chain Management on the Connection between Business Performance and Enterprise Resource Planning Framework

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Supply Chain Management (SCM) are the two fundamental Information Technology (IT) investment advancements that businesses are resorting to in the modern age. These are the advancements and options which are known to be essential in literature as a contributing fact to the enhancement of Business Performance (BP). In that regard, the main purpose of this contribution is to evaluate the adoption of ERP and its effects of BP through the option of SCM. This paper presents a novel model that applies enterprise resource planning with the option of SCM to effectively optimize BP in the competitive world. The structural equation framework is thus fundamental for testing of the model and how its fits the level of the four projected research hypotheses. The essential set of data for this analysis was gathered from companies in Malaysia. The findings in this research have been supported using empirical evidences, availability of positive factors of ERP for the option of supply chain ultimately amounts to enhanced BP.