Supply Chain Management Strategies Research Articles

Exploring Supply Chain Collaboration for Green Innovations: Evidence from the High-Tech Industry in Poland

The purpose of this article is to investigate whether the wide scope of supply chain collaboration including both customers and suppliers (Upstream–downstream External Collaboration) determines the greening of innovation more significantly than the scope limited only to suppliers (Upstream External Collaboration) or customers (Downstream External Collaboration). This goal was achieved as part of extensive research on the impact of relational capital on the innovativeness of high-tech companies in Poland. The results of the research were analysed using fuzzy conversion scales and descriptive statistics based on triangular fuzzy numbers. The application of the achievements of the fuzzy sets theory made it possible to test the hypotheses presented in the article with the use of fuzzy analysis of variance (fuzzy ANOVA). The findings confirm that the subjective scope of collaboration in the supply chain is important for greening innovation. Companies that cooperate with both suppliers and customers (Upstream–downstream External Collaboration) declared a greater tendency to green their innovations than those that cooperate with only one group of partners. The research findings contribute to the literature on the role of collaboration in the ecological responsibility and environmental performance of supply chain partners. The conclusions may have practical implications for the design and implementation of strategies in sustainable supply chain management. The study provides important lessons for SC managers facing the challenge of sustainable management during and after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Research of Chinese Internet Enterprise Supply Chain Strategy

The level of informationization of the supply chain management strategy of Internet companies is crucial and an effective means to test the competitiveness of enterprises. In this paper, based on the factors affecting the informationization level of Internet enterprise supply chain management, this paper proposes a method based on improved gray correlation degree, which is the combination of analytic hierarchy process and entropy weight method to determine the index weight, and the informationization strategy of supply chain management for Internet enterprises. put in order. Through the analysis of examples, it can be known that the improved gray correlation method using comprehensive confirmation can avoid the subjectivity of weight setting, and thus can more objectively and accurately evaluate the supply chain strategy information level of Internet enterprises. At present, this method provides new ideas for the strategic management of enterprises.

Supply Chain Management Strategy and Capital Structure of Global Information and Communications Technology Companies

Supply chain management (SCM) plays an important role in international work distribution mechanisms. This phenomenon has shifted to an SCM-to-SCM competition rather than corporate-to-corporate competition in the global market. Apple and Samsung Electronics are the two major global information and communications technology (ICT) companies, each choosing different SCM strategies to stabilize production while minimizing inventory and maintaining ongoing partnerships with suppliers. To analyze the relationship between strategic differences in SCM structure of the ICT companies and capital, while employing the generalized method of moments, this study analyzed partnerships with suppliers from a financial perspective for long-term growth and stable production. Results identified that the target debt ratio of Apple’s parts suppliers was 38%, which was slightly higher than that of US companies (33%). In the relationship between capital structure and SCM structures, the company’s debt ratio decreases if the strength of the strategic alliance and the strength of the horizontal integration of global parts suppliers are higher. Specifically, Apple’s parts suppliers with non-equity alliances, such as technological and R&D alliances, have reduced debt ratios more than companies with equity alliances. In the case of Samsung Electronics’ parts suppliers, primary vendors had a lower debt ratio than secondary vendors. These results indicates that if the strength of the vertical integration with the international strategic alliances is greater, they are more likely to adopt a lower debt ratio policy. Identifying the relationship between SCM strategic difference and capital structure, this study provides valuable insights for corporate sustainability.

Supply chain capacity to respond to COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador: An integrated leadership strategy.

This provincial case study, one of seven conducted as part of a national research program on healthcare supply chain management during COVID-19, focuses on Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). Faced with the destabilization of its traditional supply chain, NL leveraged an existing centralized healthcare supply chain structure to organize its supply chain response to the pandemic. To overcome product shortages, health leaders collaborated with their local business community and industries to source and procure personal protective equipment and create domestic manufacturing capacity for critical supplies. The healthcare supply chain response in NL demonstrates the value of a highly integrated and centralized healthcare supply chain management strategy. It also makes clear the value of a diversified healthcare supply chain, one which draws on local manufacturing capacity to create a domestic source of critical supplies and overcome shortages from global suppliers.

Off-Site Construction Three-Echelon Supply Chain Management with Stochastic Constraints: A Modelling Approach

Off-site construction is becoming more popular as more companies recognise the benefits of shifting the construction process away from the construction site and into a controlled manufacturing environment. However, challenges associated with the component supply chain have not been fully addressed. As a result, this study proposes a model for three-echelon supply chain supply management in off-site construction with stochastic constraints. In this paper, multiple off-site factories produce various types of components and ship them to supplier warehouses to meet the needs of the construction sites. Each construction site is directly served by a supplier warehouse. The service level for each supplier warehouse is assumed to be different based on regional conditions. Because of the unpredictable nature of construction projects, demand at each construction site is stochastic, so each supplier warehouse should stock a certain number of components. The inventory control policy is reviewed regularly and is in (R, s, S) form. Two objectives are considered: minimising total cost while achieving the desired delivery time for construction sites due to their demands and balancing driver workloads during the routeing stage. A grasshopper optimisation algorithm (GOA) and an exact method are used to solve this NP-hard problem. The findings of this study contribute new theoretical and practical insights to a growing body of knowledge about supply chain management strategies in off-site construction and have implications for project planners and suppliers, policymakers, and managers, particularly in companies where an unplanned supply chain exacerbates project delays and overrun costs.

Supplier selection criteria in the Greek hotel food and beverage divisions

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the factors affecting supplier selection in food and beverage divisions in the Greek hotel industry. This research aimed to (1) examine the factors affecting supplier selection in food and beverage divisions of the Greek hotel industry, as these were perceived by the Greek purchasing managers themselves; (2) investigate the underlying factors when changing a supplier.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted using a closed-ended type questionnaire. Data collection met the following three criteria: hotels with a fully operational food and beverage division could participate in the research, the research population comprised all the hotels located in 13 regions of Greece, the sample represented over 10% of the total hotels in each region. Finally, 653 valid questionnaires were collected.FindingsExploratory factor analysis showed that six broad sets of factors affect supplier selection in the food and beverage divisions: those related to raw materials, financing, environment, services, origin-nutrients and people. Regarding the factors considered in changing a supplier, three factors were found: service and product quality, economic policy change, food quality and safety management systems.Research limitations/implicationsGreek hotel managers could use the findings of the study to effectively create a supply chain management strategy that will lead to improved firm performance. Understanding the importance of the selection criteria for the supply chain performance and the need to build strong relationships with stakeholders, suppliers could also create a proper supply chain.Originality/valueThe study adds to the knowledge regarding the perspectives of the Greek purchasing managers in food and beverage divisions in hotel industry and the body of much-needed research. Using exploratory factor analysis, a sort of grouping of the variables seems beneficial for simplifying how to present and understand the factors affecting supplier selection in food and beverage divisions within the Greek context.

Supply Chain Management in the Postwar Period

The war and related domestic and foreign economic realities had a negative impact not only on logistics system in the country itself, but primarily on supply chains. For 2.5 months period 6.3 thousand km of main tracks were lost, 23573 km of roads and 289 road and 41 railway bridges were damaged. The country is forced to restructure its logistics system quickly. In terms of economic recovery of Ukraine, one of the main tasks is to establish logistics in the western direction. And the EU’s post-war reconstruction plan concerning Ukraine envisages the reconstruction of all infrastructure, including logistics, according to the latest standards and European policy. To determine the optimal strategy for supply chain management in the conditions of martial law and post-war reconstruction, we analyzed the best strategies of 2021 – the second year of pandemic restrictions. It is substantiated that the most optimal strategy of supply chain management in the conditions of martial law and post-war reconstruction will be the strategy of digitalization. The process of supply chain management is considered in detail and the directions of implementation of the supply chain management system are offered. It is proved that the introduction of the latest principles of supply chain management in accordance with the analyzed current trends of its development will allow to rebuild the logistics infrastructure at such a level that it will not only optimally transform the country’s logistics system, but also become one of the components of Ukraine’s integration. Keywords supply chains, post-war period, logistics system, management strategy, development trends.

Understanding the Factors that Impact the Pre-Launch Phase and New Product Launch Excellence in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Background: The pharmaceutical industry began to rely heavily on new product development looking for achieving an excellent NPL process. That’s why, pharmaceutical marketing started to emphasize the pre-launch phase for the pharmaceutical products and began to apply many strategies, tactics, and activities to ensure launch readiness and successful market understanding and acceptance. Existing literature that elicits theoretical and empirical evidence regarding the pre-launch phase and its impact on the launch readiness is limited. Purpose: This research aims to identify the key success factors that impact the excellence of the new product launch process in the pharmaceutical industry. Methodology: A theoretical framework was developed from existing relevant literature then tested and empirical research was conducted using qualitative analysis technique via interviews with experts from the pharmaceutical field to get their insights. Findings: The findings indicate that there are 7 factors that are impacting the excellence of the NPL process. These factors are cross-functional collaboration, market analysis, pre-launch medical activities, pricing strategies, early access programs, human resources allocation and supply chain management strategies. In addition to that the excellence measures have been stratified into qualitative measures, like customer acceptance and gaining high advocacy level of KOLs, and quantitative measures that represent the financial success of the drug in terms of rapid market penetration, gaining MS and the magnitude of MS gain. Limitations: The sample size was small and such a small sample size directed the sampling technique to be purposive sampling which may impact the representation of the total population. Moreover, the empirical data were influenced by the existing factors supposed by literature. Practical Implications: Planning and emphasizing on prelaunch phase is crucial for the excellence of NPL. Moreover, considering the 7 mentioned factors is important for ensuring the qualitative and quantitative success of the new product introduction to the market.

Improving Product Quality Based on Supply Chain Effectiveness and T-JIT Production Implementation

Success at the supply chain level requires a supply chain management strategy and its ability to handle organizational management and as result of that has effect on product quality. The research results show that T-JIT as a sustainable strategy, from supply chain management as a factor affecting product quality and supply chain capability as factors affecting product quality. Therefore, organizations that are willing to compete on the supply chain level are recommended to be among the JIT-productions, JIT-buyers, JIT-sellers and suppliers of JIT-information. In summary, production managers must take advantage of a T-JIT production strategy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of T-JIT production system implementation and supply chain effectiveness on improving product quality. Statistical population of this research is 305 managers, supervisors and administrative staff of production industries. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS and AMOS software. Finally, it was observed that supply chain management strategy has a positive and significant effect on product quality, supply chain capability and T-JIT production. On the other hand, T-JIT production has a positive and significant effect on product quality and supply chain capability, and also the positive and significant effect of supply chain capability on product quality was confirmed.

The challenges and problems in the implementation of supply chain management in small and medium-scale industries: a case study of Indian coir industries

For sustainable economic development, the rural or small or medium-scale industry play a vital role. By encouraging in setting-up of these industries in diverse regions of country will help in the attainment of political freedoms, economic freedoms and also in the foundation of newer social orders. The Indian coir industry has been regarded as one of the rural or small or medium scale industry when compared to other emerging industries. However, due to a number of constraints, the present coir industries are degrading in terms of their growth and development. An effective implementation of supply chain management (SCM) strategy would ensure in proper functioning of these coir sectors in a competitive level. Therefore, this study aimed at making a SWOT analysis of the existing coir industries in Odisha state in India, which was further followed by the identification of the challenges and problems for effective implementation of SCM strategies. Moreover, the interpretive structural modelling (ISM) method was used to find the interrelations among those challenging variables and to develop an interrelationship model followed by 'Matrice d'Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée á un Classement (MICMAC) ' analysis in order to have a wider vision on the present SCM implementation strategies and concerned issues.

The effect of supplier integration, manager transformational leadership on supply chain performance

This study aims to examine the effect of supplier integration on supply chain performance by moderating supply chain transformational leadership styles. The design used in this study is hypothesis testing with two hypotheses and using path analysis. The population of the respondents from this study were 550 manufacturing companies in Jakarta with data collection were performed through online questionnaires and the number of samples that met the criteria for analysis from 150 manufacturing companies represented by leaders in the supply chain management section. The results of this study indicate that supplier integration has a positive effect on supply chain performance, transformational leadership style has a positive effect on supply chain performance and supplier integration has a positive effect on transformational leadership style in Indonesian manufacturing companies. The results of the study can be a reference for decision makers and supply chain management leaders to implement supply chain management strategies in the form of integration with suppliers to improve the company's supply chain performance and to consider the influence of supply chain transformational leadership styles to maintain the sustainability of long-term relationships with suppliers in multinational companies which already has a standard and standard system.

The association between organizational performance and supply chain management practices

Firms' activities to govern their supply chains are defined as supply chain management practices. This research explores a model that describes the association between organizational performance and supply chain management practices. Based on existing research, a theoretical framework for the investigation was established. A standardized questionnaire was developed to gather data for the research, which was completed by 396 supply chain professionals from Saudi Arabian food companies. Partial least square (PLS)–structured equation modeling was used to examine the model and hypotheses. Four independent variables were chosen to scrutinize the impact of supply chain management strategies on organizational performance: customer relationship, strategic supplier partnership, level of information sharing, and postponement. According to the research, customer relationships, strategic supplier partnerships, and information sharing all have a major impact on organizational performance. On the other hand, the postponement has no significant impact on organizational performance.

Prioritize Strategies to Address the Sustainable Supply Chain Innovation Using Multicriteria Decision‐Making Methods

Today, due to the increase in people’s awareness of environmental issues and the strict policies of governments, the competitiveness of companies depends on considering environmental issues at all levels of the supply chain. However, the implementation of green supply chain management strategies has lots of different risks. The main contribution of this research is to evaluate and rank the companies in the tire industry with an emphasis on the environmental risks of the sustainable supply chain using the hybrid best‐worst method (BWM) and fuzzy VIKOR (FVIKOR). First, data analysis was implemented by applying the BWM technique, which has higher reliability than other similar techniques. Next, the importance of the indicators involved in the risk of the green supply chain, including operational, supply, product return, financial, demand, organizational, and government, was calculated. Finally, according to the calculated weights for each criterion, five active companies in the tire industry were ranked using the FVIKOR technique. The results of prioritizing criteria and subcriteria showed that “financial risks” are the most important indicator among the indicators involved in green supply chain risk. Among the subcriteria, “rates related to inflation and currency” from the cluster of financial risks were recognized as the most important subcriteria. Moreover, the results of the ranking of five companies in the tire industry indicated that Dana Company is in the best situation in terms of green supply chain risks. Finally, a series of practical suggestions for managers and a series of scientific suggestions for future research have been presented.

Sustainability assessment of transport operations in local Food Supply Chain networks

As food supply chains represent a hotspot of climate change, a rapid transition toward more sustainable processes and operations is expected. Whilst research provides decision-support models to optimize food ecosystems, the application of these techniques in practice is often discouraged by a lack of knowledge and visibility on the hidden food networks’ performance and impacts. This paper overviews a case study on a regional fruit and vegetable supply chain characterized by broad fragmentation of supplies, a wide number of actors involved, multiple stages, and limited visibility on the routes traveled by a generic food order. This work analyzes the perishable flows from the growers to the retailer under the lens of environmental externalities in order to promote sustainable supply chain management strategies. Logistic flows throughout the stages are tracked and mapped to aid integrated decision-making, resulting in food miles and transport externalities assessment. A multi-scenario what-if analysis is illustrated to compare and assess transportation costs, food miles, and carbon footprint resulting from more integrated supply chain decisions and configurations. The To-Be scenario results in significant savings in terms of carbon emissions, traveling, and transportation costs. Moreover, the reduction of transported volumes reflects how multiple supply chain stages compel double/triple-handling of food and avoidable traveling.

Investigating the Potential of 3D Printing Technology on Spare Parts Business for Supply Chain Management in Appliance Industry

3D printing is a process used to fabricate three-dimensional objects based on the digitally controlled deposition of successive layers of material until a final structure is created. This research presents a case study in which two models were built to estimate the operation cost of a spare parts business for an appliance manufacturing company: a base model and an alternate benchmark model in which spare parts are supplied by the traditional manufacturing method or 3D printing. With the developed models, this research compares the total inventory cost of ownership and the number of suppliers for two supply chain management scenarios. Further, a third model (hybrid cost model) was established where spare parts are supplied partially by traditional manufacturing and partially by 3D printing according to maximize cost savings. The cost analysis from the three models concludes that the mixed model shows the best outcome for simplifying supply management complexity and ultimately reducing total cost of spare parts inventory. This case study can help appliance industries to assess and decide if 3D printing is a feasible production method for spare parts in terms of supply chain management strategy.

Intelligent matching: Supply chain management and financial accounting technology

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of accounting Fintech, Financial Technology Matching (FTM) and Supply Chain Management (SCM) in Jordanian manufacturing corporations. A questionnaire was created in order to meet the goal of this article to collect the data related to the financial technology and supply chain management and 850 questionnaires out of 1300 distributed questionnaires were collected from respondents, working in Jordanian manufacturing corporations. Linkways hypothesis testing indicates that financial technology and company size had a positive effect on the management of supply chain towards adoption of fintech. In addition, the results also found that integrated supply chain management strategy and environmental uncertainty are significantly affecting the adoption of fintech for supply chain management. However, supply chain optimization uses technologies and resources such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, and Internet of things in the best possible way to improve the efficiency and performance of a supply network.

DETERMINING THE SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGY IN MARKETING WITH SWOT ANALYSIS AT PT INTERNIT GRESIK

PT Eternit Gresik produces fiberglass which is currently experiencing a slight decline, because it provides an opportunity to create tight competitiveness in market share and challenges for the future. Researchers aim to determine the PT Enternit Gresik Supply Chain management strategy in the best marketing to face competition.
 The method used in this study using a SWOT analysis, and AHP weighting with the help of spss software. This study produces a recommendation in the best marketing strategy for PT Eternit Gresik to use. The results of the SWOT analysis, it can be seen that the position of the company is located at the coordinate point (-0.0636; 0.0435) quadrant III which means it supports the turnaround strategy, namely the company faces a very large market opportunity, but on the other hand, it faces several internal constraints / weaknesses. Meanwhile, in the internal - external matrix with an internal value (2.1021) and an external value (2.1882), the position of growth stability is growth through horizontal integration. The growth strategy through horizontal integration is that companies in this cell can expand their market share, production facilities and technology through internal and external development. Can determine alternative strategies for Supply Chain management of PT Eternit Gresik's fiberglass production in marketing resulting in several alternative strategies, namely the growth strategy through horizontal integration by expanding market share, production facilities and technology through internal and external development. Minimizing the occurrence of the bullwhip effect, facilitating activity mapping along the value stram to minimize the occurrence of waste.

Digital value chain restructuring and labour process transformations in the fast‐fashion sector: Evidence from the value chains of Zara & H&M

AbstractIn this article, we combine a workplace‐centred Labour Process Theory approach with a multi‐level Global Value Chain perspective to link digital labour process transformations in the fast‐fashion value chain to broader dynamics of digital value chain restructuring. Drawing on a case study of H&M and Zara, we show how these retailers’ digital supply chain management strategies are linked to the de‐skilling, standardization and rationalization of tasks and to the emergence of new digital forms of labour control in production, logistics and retail. At the same time, we find that the effects of these transformations on working conditions are mediated by workers’ position in the value chain as well as by gender and capital‐labour power relations. The article contributes to debates on value chains and digitalization by revealing how, under digital capitalism, the ability to control and digitally integrate labour processes in complex store, logistics and manufacturing networks represents a key source of power in buyer‐driven value chains.

How Switching Costs with Process Monitoring and Operational Integration Affect Sustainable Supplier Relationship

Building on sustainable supply chain management and operations strategy literature, our study seeks to identify structural relationships between switching cost and sustainable supplier relationships from a demand-side perspective. More specifically, this study looks at the impact of the switching cost on process monitoring, operation integration, and sustainable supplier relationships. To test the structural relationships in our research model, we used Manufacturing Productivity Survey data from Korea to conduct an empirical analysis based on 351 data that fit our study’s purpose. The results show that the indirect effect of switching cost on sustainable supplier relationships through process monitoring and operational integration is positively valid. Additionally, the results emphasize that the social exchange theory can be explained in the perspective of the switching cost.

Tourism Service Supply Chain Management Model in the Context of the Pandemic

This paper explores inter-organizational collaboration in a tourism sevice supply chain management (TSSC) in times of pandemic. Its main focus is on TSSC successful management model within the chain, addressing the key components. Tourism service supply chain coordination management strategies have already been adopted by many large tourism service providers, such as hotels and airlines, tour operators, and travel agencies. Amongst the key benefits that businesses receive are: improved brand value, reputation, image and status. In the context of the current Covid-19 pandemic, special attention must be given to priorities such as cost reduction and operational efficiency. This new study selected to examine the TSSC management of bilateral relations in the context of economic disruption: relations with government, tour operators and competitors to achieve productive performance indicators such as customer satisfaction, profit and profit margin, flexibility, liquidity, reliability, productivity, transparency, sustainability, and risk resilience. Overall, the management of the tourism services supply chain (TSSC) during the pandemic became one of the most dominant topics in the tourism business environment. As circumstances change, consumer behavior and constraints imposed by public administrations, business organizations must respond and change their supply chain management strategy, which depends on the region, size and nature of the business. A properly functioning TSSC is the optimal balance between two opposite poles - efficiency and sensitivity, which represent customers’ satisfactory level. This balance is dictated by the adopted TSSC performance governing strategy, which must specify the relevant requirements for the management of relations with the government, tour operators and competitors. This achieves the level of service dictated by the market, and provides a competitive advantage. Based on the analysis of the scientific literature and the available empirical data, it has been established that the problems of the tourism service supply chain lie in its mismanagement.