Supply Network Structure Research Articles

Supply Chain Network Structure and Environmental Information Disclosure

Recognizing that supply network structure has implications for a focal firm’s ability to access environmental information embedded in its supply network, this paper draws on structural, environment...

Locating the source of large-scale outbreaks of foodborne disease.

In today's globally interconnected food system, outbreaks of foodborne disease can spread widely and cause considerable impact on public health. We study the problem of identifying the source of emerging large-scale outbreaks of foodborne disease; a crucial step in mitigating their proliferation. To solve the source identification problem, we formulate a probabilistic model of the contamination diffusion process as a random walk on a network and derive the maximum-likelihood estimator for the source location. By modelling the transmission process as a random walk, we are able to develop a novel, computationally tractable solution that accounts for all possible paths of travel through the network. This is in contrast to existing approaches to network source identification, which assume that the contamination travels along either the shortest or highest probability paths. We demonstrate the benefits of the multiple-paths approach through application to different network topologies, including stylized models of food supply network structure and real data from the 2011 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli outbreak in Germany. We show significant improvements in accuracy and reliability compared with the relevant state-of-the-art approach to source identification. Beyond foodborne disease, these methods should find application in identifying the source of spread in network-based diffusion processes more generally, including in networks not well approximated by tree-like structure.

A Review of Structural Relationships in Closed-Loop Supply Chain Model

The acquisition strategy of returned products has become essential in the study of reverse supply chain. There are three primary activities included in the process of a the reverse supply chain, the acquisition of returned products, the remanufacturing process, and redistribution. This literature review intends to study the existing relationship amongst supply chain players in a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) model. In the remanufacturing process performed by the company, returned products must be collected from consumers. Therefore, remanufacturing companies rely upon consumers as cores suppliers. This makes the good relationship between the two become crucial in company operational sustainability successfully. In this study, the identified journal articles were categorized into types of structural relationships between supply chain players and network structures of a reverse supply chain. Types of structural relationships are ownership-based, service-contract, direct-order, deposit-based, credit-based, buy-back, and voluntary–based. There are four types of returned product collector and remanufacturer: Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), a third party (3PL), retailer, and remanufacturer. Discussion of the journal articles was presented in each category. After that, the structural relationship was explored to find its advantage and disadvantage, so that CLSC can be managed effectively and efficiently. As a summary, suggestions for future research were described as the result of the literature review conducted.

Supply chain environmental R&D cooperation and product performance: Exploring the network dynamics of positional embeddedness

Companies increasingly need to work with their partners to address sustainability issues, but benefits from environmental R&D cooperation can be limited by the complexity of its management. This paper examines how the interplay between dyadic and network relationships can contribute to increase the success of environmental R&D cooperation. Using secondary data, we examine whether the positional embeddedness in the supply network structure of partners engaged in environmental R&D cooperation amplifies the effects of cooperation on product performance. Non-monotonic effects of environmental R&D cooperation and embeddedness are also tested. The results indicate that the positional embeddedness of partners triggered by multiple sourcing strategy amplifies the effects of environmental R&D cooperation on product environmental performance. The interaction effects become however insignificant in the presence of increasing complexity and excessive environmental R&D cooperation.

Algorithms for building distribution networks of electricity supply, reducing losses of electricity

The basis for achieving high quality of electricity are three components: high-quality power generation, uninterrupted transmission and distribution over reliable networks. In conditions of commensurability of the power of electric motors with the power supply and with a considerable extension of the cable network, algorithms for automated design of the power supply system are needed. This article describes an approach based on the application of the Dijkstra algorithm, which allows to reduce costs in the construction of the distribution network and provide the necessary voltage level at the motor terminals or minimum energy losses in the cable network. The main and arbitrary structure of a power supply network with an electric load in terms of the theory of the genetic algorithm is described, on the basis of which it is possible to create an effective means of determining rational configurations of a power supply network with an electric load.

Modeling topologically resilient supply chain networks

The ubiquity of supply chains along with their increasingly interconnected structure has ignited interest in studying supply chain networks through the lens of complex adaptive systems. A particularly important characteristic of supply chains is the desirable goal of sustaining their operation when exposed to unexpected perturbations. Applied network science methods can be used to analyze topological properties of supply chains and propose models for their growth. Network models focusing on the critical aspect of supply chain resilience may provide insights into the design of supply networks that may quickly recover from disruptions. This is vital for understanding both static and dynamic structures of complex supply networks, and enabling management to make informed decisions and prioritizing particular operations. This paper proposes an action-based perspective for creating a compact probabilistic model for a given real-world supply network. The action-based model consists of a set of rules (actions) that a firm may use to connect with other firms, such that the synthesized networks are topologically resilient. Additionally, it captures the heterogeneous roles of different firms by incorporating domain specific constraints. Results analyzing the resilience of networks subjected to node disruptions show that networks synthesized using the proposed model can generally outperform its real-world counterpart.

Integrated Supply Network Maturity Model: Water Scarcity Perspective

Today’s supply chains (SCs) are more than ever prone to disruptions caused by natural and man-made events with water scarcity identified as one of the highest impact events among these. Leading businesses, understanding that natural resource scarcity (NRS) has become a critical supply chain risk factor, extensively incorporate sustainable water management programmes into their corporate social responsibility and environmental management agenda. The question of how industries can efficiently evaluate the progress of these water scarcity mitigation practices, however, remains open. In order to address this question, the present study proposes a conceptual maturity model. The model is rooted in strategies for water scarcity mitigation using a framework developed by Yatskovskaya and Srai and develops an extensive literature review of recent publications on maturity frameworks in the fields of sustainability and operations management. In order to test the proposed proposed, model an exploratory case study with a leading pharmaceutical company was conducted. The proposed maturity model presents an evaluation tool that allows systematic assessment and visualisation of organisational routines and practices relevant to sustainable manufacturing in the context of water scarcity. This model was designed to help illustrate mitigation capabilities evolution over time, where future state desired capabilities were considered through alternative supply network (SN) configurations, network structure, process flow, product architecture, and supply partnerships.

Examining the anatomy of last-mile distribution in e-commerce omnichannel retailing

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the interplay between configuration dimensions (network structure, network flow, relationship governance, and service architecture) of last-mile supply networks (LMSN) and the underlying mechanisms influencing omnichannel performance.Design/methodology/approachBased on mixed-method design incorporating a multiple embedded case study, mapping, survey, and archival records, this research involved undertaking in-depth within- and cross-case analyses to examine seven LMSNs, employing a configuration approach.FindingsThe existing literature in the operations management (OM) field was shown to provide limited understanding of LMSNs within the emerging omnichannel context. Case results suggest that particular configurations have intrinsic capabilities, and that these directly influence omnichannel performance. The study further proposes a taxonomy of LMSNs comprising six forms, with two hybrids, supporting the notion of equifinality in configuration theory. Propositions are developed to further explore interdependencies between configurational attributes, refining the relationship between LMSN types, and factors influencing omnichannel performance.Practical implicationsThe findings provide retailers with a set of design parameters for the (re)configuration of LMSNs and facilitate performance evaluation using the concept of fit between configurational attributes. The developed model sheds light on the consequential effects when certain configurational attributes are altered, preempting managerial attention. Given the global trend in urbanization, improved LMSN performance would have positive societal impacts in terms of service and resource efficiency.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies in the OM field to critically analyze LMSNs and their behaviors in omnichannel retailing. Additionally, the paper offers several important avenues for future research.

Supply Network Structure and Firm Performance: Evidence From the Electronics Industry

Although research in the supply chain area inherently involves the study of supply networks, the majority of existing work is limited to utilizing a dyadic approach in examining relationships between buyer and supplier firms. However, real-world supply networks are characterized by a complex network of interfirm relationships and not just dyads. Thus, it is important to examine how structural relationships among supply chain partners impact the performance of firms using a network analytic lens. This paper examines the influence of structural characteristics of a firm's supply network on its performance. Using a dataset of 114 firms consisting of firm-level variables drawn from multiple sources in the electronics industry, we investigate two important structural characteristics of the supply network—structural prominence, depicting the centrality of a firm's position in the supply network, and density, characterizing the interconnectedness among firms in a supply network. Using a robust regression approach, we find that both the structural prominence of firms and the density of the supply networks, along with the interaction between them, positively influence the performance of firms as measured by the firm's asset utilization, cost performance, and operational efficiency. We discuss both theoretical and practical implications of our findings, and relate the results to managerial significance.

A supply network governance framework: a case study of the South Australian mining industry

Purpose The competitiveness of mining regions largely depends on the performance of the regional supply chains that provide services to mining companies. These local supply chains are often highly intertwined and represent a regional supply network for the industry. Individual companies often use supply chain strategies that are sub-optimal to overall supply network performance. To effectively respond to an uncertain business environment, policy-makers and supply chain participants would benefit by a governance framework that would allow to incentivise the formation of supply networks structures enabling effective operations. The purpose of this paper is to offer an empirically grounded conceptual framework based on Complex Adaptive Systems (CASs) governance principles, which links network governance mechanisms with supply network structure and operational performance to incentivise the formation of adaptive and resilient supply networks in the mining industry. Design/methodology/approach A mixed method research design and a case study of the South Australian mining sector were used to collect empirical data. Qualitative interviews and network analysis of the SA mining industry regional supply network structure were conducted. The relationships between network parameters were interpreted using CAS theory. Findings An empirically grounded conceptual framework based on CAS governance principles is developed. The case study revealed that supply chain strategies and governance mechanisms in the SA mining industry have led to the formation of a hierarchical, scale-free structure with insufficient horizontal connectivity which limits the adaptability, responsiveness and resilience of the regional supply network. Research limitations/implications The findings are drawn from a single case study. This limits generalisability of the findings and the proposed framework. Practical implications The proposed framework draws the attention of the policy-makers and supply chain participants towards the need for utilising CAS governance principles to facilitate the formation of adaptive, responsive and resilient regional supply networks in the mining industry. Originality value The proposed conceptual framework is an attempt to parameterise the governance of the regional supply networks in the mining industry.

Community structure of copper supply networks in the prehistoric Balkans: An independent evaluation of the archaeological record from the 7th to the 4th millennium BC

Complex networks analyses of many physical, biological and social phenomena show remarkable structural regularities, yet, their application in studying human past interaction remains underdeveloped. Here, we present an innovative method for identifying community structures in the archaeological record that allow for independent evaluation of the copper using societies in the Balkans, from c. 6200 to c. 3200 BC. We achieve this by exploring modularity of networked systems of these societies across an estimated 3000 years. We employ chemical data of copper-based objects from 79 archaeological sites as the independent variable for detecting most densely interconnected sets of nodes with a modularity maximization method. Our results reveal three dominant modular structures across the entire period, which exhibit strong spatial and temporal significance. We interpret patterns of copper supply among prehistoric societies as reflective of social relations, which emerge as equally important as physical proximity. Although designed on a variable isolated from any archaeological and spatiotemporal information, our method provides archaeologically and spatiotemporally meaningful results. It produces models of human interaction and cooperation that can be evaluated independently of established archaeological systematics, and can find wide application on any quantitative data from archaeological and historical record.

Contractual Business Networks: The Case of Syndicated Loans

AbstractThere is a growing debate in law, economics and sociology about contractual business networks as a hybrid form of cooperation that combines governance elements from market and firm. Most treatments of the subject focus on the structures of supply and distribution networks and their consequences on liability and contractual interpretation. This article confronts network theory with the case of cross-border syndicated loans. Syndicated loans are a highly important instrument of corporate finance, and they merge contractual and corporate cooperation in a particularly sophisticated manner. Theories of network contracts can thus be helpful to address the legal issues of syndicated loans in different fields of law, ranging from conflict of laws to antitrust law. In turn, the analysis of syndicated loans as an example of horizontal business networks can help generate insights for the general discussion of networks in private law.

Relating supply network structure to productive efficiency: A multi-stage empirical investigation

The potential of Social Network Analysis (SNA) to characterize supply network structure is of growing interest in supply chain management, although the related literature provides few empirical investigations. This study identifies those SNA measures most closely associated with supply chain efficiency, using archival inter-firm relationship data collected from U.S. public companies in multiple industries. In a three-stage procedure, a DEA model is applied to measure firm- and chain-level efficiencies, followed by a correlation analysis to group SNA variables into clusters of high correlation. These clusters are used in a step-wise regression algorithm to identify those variables most relevant to productive efficiency while accounting for multicollinearity. The supply network structural characteristics that emerge as significant are consistent with many hypothesized relationships in the literature, although not without exceptions, such as an interesting tradeoff between the benefit of connectedness and a penalty for closeness.

Methodology for Simulation and Analysis of Complex Adaptive Supply Network Structure and Dynamics Using Information Theory

Supply networks existing today in many industries can behave as complex adaptive systems making them more difficult to analyze and assess. Being able to fully understand both the complex static and dynamic structures of a complex adaptive supply network (CASN) are key to being able to make more informed management decisions and prioritize resources and production throughout the network. Previous efforts to model and analyze CASN have been impeded by the complex, dynamic nature of the systems. However, drawing from other complex adaptive systems sciences, information theory provides a model-free methodology removing many of those barriers, especially concerning complex network structure and dynamics. With minimal information about the network nodes, transfer entropy can be used to reverse engineer the network structure while local transfer entropy can be used to analyze the network structure’s dynamics. Both simulated and real-world networks were analyzed using this methodology. Applying the methodology to CASNs allows the practitioner to capitalize on observations from the highly multidisciplinary field of information theory which provides insights into CASN’s self-organization, emergence, stability/instability, and distributed computation. This not only provides managers with a more thorough understanding of a system’s structure and dynamics for management purposes, but also opens up research opportunities into eventual strategies to monitor and manage emergence and adaption within the environment.

Quantifying the effects of additive manufacturing on supply networks by means of a facility location-allocation model

Additive manufacturing (AM), or popular scientific 3D printing, disseminates in more and more production processes. This changes not only production processes themselves, e.g. by replacing subtractive production technologies, but AM will in all likelihood also impact the configuration of supply networks. Due to a more efficient use of raw materials, transportation relations may change and production sites may be relocated. How this change will look like is part of an ongoing discussion in industry and academia. However, quantitative studies on this question are scarce. In order to quantify the potential impact of AM on a two-stage supply network, we use a facility location model. The impact of AM on the production process is integrated into the model by varying resource efficiency ratios. We create a test data set of 700 instances. Features of this data set are, among others, different geographical clusters of source nodes, production nodes, and customer nodes. By means of a computational study, the impact of AM on the supply network structure is measured by four indicators. In the context of our experimental set-up, AM reduces the overall transportation costs of a supply network compared to subtractive production. However, the share of the transportation costs on the second stage of a supply network in the total costs increases significantly. Therefore, supply networks in which production sites and customer sites are closely spaced improve their cost-effectiveness stronger than other regional configurations of supply networks.

The Review of Factors that Influence the Supply Chain Performance

This article aims to highlight the factors that influence the supply chain (SC) performance. SC performance is an aggregate of the performance of every company operating in the chain. The relationship between the companies in the SC plays a key role in the SC overall performance. There are different factors that may influence directly a company’s performance but indirectly they affect the entire chain. Some of these factors are: longevity of the relationship, supply base reduction, supplier involvement, information sharing, cross-functional teams, trust and commitment. In addition, this paper identifies several other factors that influence the SC performance, such as: environmental uncertainty, top-management support, customer focus, information technology, strategic purchasing, logistic integration and supply network structure. By knowing them, strategies can be build to overcome problems, the opportunities offered can be exploit and lastly these factors can be used to develop SC models with focus on SC performance. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2016.v5n2p181

True Nature of Supply Network Communication Structure

Globalization of world economy has altered the definition of organizational structure. Global supply chain can no longer be viewed as an arm-length structure. It has become more complex. The complexity demands deeper research and understanding. This research analyzed a structure of supply network in an attempt to elucidate the true structure of the supply network. Using the quantitative Social Network Analysis methodology, findings of this study indicated that, the structure of the supply network differs depending on the types of network relations. An important implication of these findings would be a more focus resource management upon network relationship development that is based on firms’ positions in the different network structure. This research also contributes to the various strategies of effective and efficient supply chain management. DOI : https://doi.org/10.21632/irjbs.9.1.1-14 Keywords: Supply Chain Management, Network Studies, Inter-Organizational Relations, Social Capital

True Nature of Supply Network Communication Structure

Globalization of world economy has altered the definition of organizational structure. Global supply chain can no longer be viewed as an arm-length structure. It has become more complex. The complexity demands deeper research and understanding. This research analyzed a structure of supply network in an attempt to elucidate the true structure of the supply network. Using the quantitative Social Network Analysis methodology, findings of this study indicated that, the structure of the supply network differs depending on the types of network relations. An important implication of these findings would be a more focus resource management upon network relationship development that is based on firms positions in the different network structure. This research also contributes to the various strategies of effective and efficient supply chain management.DOI :https://doi.org/10.21632/irjbs.9.1.1-14Keywords: Supply Chain Management, Network Studies, Inter-Organizational Relations, Social Capital

A Study on the Effects of Additive Manufacturing on the Structure of Supply Networks

Abstract With the ongoing development of additive manufacturing (AM) the technology has the potential to increase the efficiency of production processes or to replace classical subtractive production technologies. This will impact the structure of supply networks. In order to quantify this impact, this paper studies to what extend AM may influence a two stage supply network consisting of source nodes, production nodes and customer nodes. Three stylized instances of this model, which differ in the distribution of these nodes as well as the improvement of the resource efficiency through AM have been created. To study the impact of AM on the structure of supply networks, a computational study has been performed. Four indicators are used, i.e. the total costs, tonne-kilometres per customer on the second stage (production site to customer site), number of open production sites, and the proportion of transport costs on the first and the second stage are compared. All indicators improve by using AM and the production sites move closer to the customers.

Прогноз выработки электроэнергии инвариантных ветроэнергетических установок методом нечеткой логики

The current state of development of autonomous electric power supply systems, including objects of gas transmission systems is considered. Use in the combined generating complexes of alternative sources of the electric power on the basis of wind power installations is proved. Are offered options of structures of power supply networks for pipeline service consumers with use of wind power installations. Are analyses energy-efficient invariant systems on the basis of the combined installations according to the scheme "the synchronous generator-the frequency converter". The predicted power generation volumes are received by power sources at stochastic character of a wind stream.