Mobile Supply Chain Management Research Articles

Modelling the factors affecting the adoption of mobile supply chain management in the food distribution industry

Modelling the factors affecting the adoption of mobile supply chain management in the food distribution industry

Modeling the Factors Affecting the Adoption of Mobile Supply Chain Management in the Food Distribution Industry

Modeling the Factors Affecting the Adoption of Mobile Supply Chain Management in the Food Distribution Industry

Modeling the Factors Affecting the Adoption of Mobile Supply Chain Management in the Food Distribution Industry

Modeling the Factors Affecting the Adoption of Mobile Supply Chain Management in the Food Distribution Industry

Procurement and coordination under imperfect quality and uncertain demand in reverse mobile phone supply chain

The extremely short life cycles and rapid advent of new technologies are placing used phones at the forefront of reverse supply chain management. This research focuses on the incentive mechanisms in a supply chain of used mobile phones that are still usable and thus can be sold at a lower price to secondary markets where customers are more price-sensitive. Through an in-depth case study, we first explored the second-hand mobile phone supply chain structure and operational procedure. Then we investigated and compared two different incentive strategies between a take-back enterprise (referred to as a “distributor”) and a supplying firm with large quantities of used phones (referred to as a “supplier”), namely quantity discount scheme and coordinated quality improvement. The optimal order quantities and/or quality improvement levels are analyzed in both decentralized and centralized settings. Our results show that the quantity discount scheme may result in a centralized optimization, while the quality improvement scheme could benefit the entire supply chain when the initial imperfect ratio is not low. Moreover, the value of quality improvement decreases with the demand uncertainty under a decentralized system but increases in a centralized supply chain. This research provides an effective tool and guideline for evaluating different procurement and incentive strategies in reverse mobile supply chain management.

Mobile supply chain management in the Industry 4.0 era

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify avenues for future research in mobile supply chain management (mSCM) in the advent of Industry 4.0.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review was used to identify, classify, and analyze current knowledge, identify trends, and propose recommendations for future research.FindingsOther research fields, such as operations, production, industrial engineering, and computer science, seem to have a head start in research into Industry 4.0. Several avenues are suggested for investigation under an information systems lens.Research limitations/implicationsDespite the care taken in the systematic literature review, the language (English), the selected keywords, and selected databases represent a natural limitation.Practical implicationsWith Industry 4.0 at the top of the agenda of managers and countries, it is important to identify relevant research avenues.Originality/valueA gap between the extant literature on mSCM and new concerns raised by Industry 4.0 is presented, and some research opportunities to close those gaps are proposed.

Determinants of mobile supply chain management system diffusion: a structural equation analysis of manufacturing firms

Mobile supply chain management (SCM) is gaining recognition as a major source of cost reduction and supply chain performance improvement. The current literature related to mobile SCM needs to be extended further in order to provide insights into how manufacturing firms can implement mobile SCM successfully. Specifically, there is a need to provide empirical and systematic analysis of the variables that can explain the various stages of mobile SCM diffusion. A review of recent literature suggests that existing e-supply chain technology adoption literature is not strongly grounded in theory. A theoretical model with six hypotheses was proposed based on the technology–organisation–environment (TOE) framework and innovation diffusion theory (IDT). This study draws its survey responses from a group of manufacturing firms in order to investigate the factors that affect the diffusion of mobile SCM. The results show that the variables derived from TOE and IDT can explain mobile SCM diffusion well. However, interorganisational relationships (IORs) play a crucial role in determining the success of mobile SCM routinisation. This is one of the first known empirical studies on the factors influencing the diffusion of mobile SCM. The results of this study will help decision makers better understand the implementation process of mobile SCM and formulate strategies for successful diffusion of mobile SCM.

Multi-agent Middleware for the Integration of Mobile Supply Chain

With the development of mobile network and communication technology, traditional supply chain management is gradually updating to mobile supply chain management, and multi-agent technology has been considered as a very efficient method for supply chain management in mobile environment. After considering the characteristics and limitations of mobile supply chain, and according to the requirements in the manufacturing domain, this paper designs a multi-agent middleware for mobile supply chain management, aiming to solve integration problems and shield off network and terminal heterogeneity in mobile environment, which can achieve mobile supply chain dynamic integration and then improve the efficiency of supply chain management. Its feasibility and efficiency was demonstrated by experiments.

Mobile supply chain management: Challenges for implementation

Mobile supply chain management (mSCM) is fast gaining recognition as a major source of cost reduction and supply chain performance. However, there is little published academic literature on the application and implementation of mobile and/or wireless technology in SCM. This article attempts to explore the challenges of mobile technology for successful implementation of mSCM. The implications of mobile or wireless technology for successful implementation of mSCM are examined with reference to three critical areas of SCM: (1) competitive advantage based on the notion of value chain analysis in SCM; (2) relationship management for successful collaboration along the supply chain and strategic partnerships; and (3) coordination and integration of disparate functions and activities to enhance overall supply chain performance. The article identifies the implications of mobile technology for SCM and develops propositions that have important consequences on the likelihood of a successful implementation of mSCM.

Mobile Commerce Applications in Supply Chain Management

As wireless technologies evolve, the coming mobile revolution will bring dramatic and fundamental changes to supply chain management. When complete, the revolution will impact numerous facets of organizational life. It will provide important data in real time to assist decision makers, exert great influence on the ways businesses communicate and develop relationships with consumers and suppliers, and ultimately transform the way we manage the supply chain. This paper examines issues in integrating mobile commerce and supply chain management. The paper discusses issues such as the absence of killer applications, mobile device limitations, networking problems, infrastructure constraints, security concerns, and user distrust in mobile applications. Research issues, such as usability, user interfaces, mobile access to databases, agent technologies, and mobile business models, are also discussed.