Supplier Relationships Research Articles

Poland Supplier Whitelisting Process for Issuing Payments in the ERP System

The increasing complexity of global supply chains has underscored the need for robust and secure supplier management solutions within Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. This article explores the implementation and benefits of a Supplier Whitelisting Solution in the Oracle Cloud ERP system, with a specific focus on its application in Poland. The solution is designed to enhance the security and compliance of procurement processes by allowing only pre-approved and verified suppliers to participate in transactions. The paper examines the key features of the whitelisting functionality, including its integration with local regulatory requirements, and outlines the operational advantages it provides, such as risk mitigation, improved supplier relationship management, and streamlined auditing processes. Additionally, it discusses the challenges encountered during deployment and offers best practices for successful implementation. This article serves as a guide for organizations looking to enhance their supplier management capabilities within the Oracle Cloud ERP environment, particularly in the context of Poland’s regulatory landscape

What Makes Bangladeshi RMG Suppliers Resilient in Global Apparel Supply Chain Management?

The global Readymade Garments (RMG) industry heavily relies on global supply chain management that aims to seek suppliers offering affordable, high-quality products delivered quickly. However, research on the factors influencing supplier selection in the RMG sector is scarce, and existing models fail to explain the paradox of rising exports in Bangladesh despite supply chain disruptions. This research strived to pervade this knowledge gap through a mixed-method empirical study on 66 international clothing brands. The findings reveal a two-step supplier selection process involving enlistment in a qualified supplier pool and subsequent allocation of work orders within the pool. Supplier competence and competitiveness are critical for enlistment and order qualification, while supplier relationship, competitiveness, and competence influence the selection of order winners. Notably, larger companies prioritize relationships in supplier selection. International RMG buying companies should focus on supplier competence factors to mitigate supply chain risks and maintain positive public relations. For the same reason, Bangladeshi policymakers should enforce compliance and help RMG suppliers to gain competencies.

Pan-transcriptomic Profiling Demarcates Serendipita Indica-Phosphorus Mediated Tolerance Mechanisms in Rice Exposed to Arsenic Toxicity

Inadvertent accumulation of arsenic (As) in rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a concern for people depending on it for their subsistence, as it verily causes epigenetic alterations across the genome as well as in specific cells. To ensure food safety, certain attempts have been made to nullify this highest health hazard encompassing physiological, chemical and biological methods. Albeit, the use of mycorrhizal association along with nutrient reinforcement strategy has not been explored yet. Mechanisms of response and resistance of two rice genotypes to As with or without phosphorus (P) nutrition and Serendipita indica (S. indica; S.i) colonization were explored by root transcriptome profiling in the present study. Results revealed that the resistant genotype had higher auxin content and root plasticity, which helped in keeping the As accumulation and P starvation response to a minimum under alone As stress. However, sufficient P supply and symbiotic relationship switched the energy resources towards plant’s developmental aspects rather than excessive root proliferation. Higher As accumulating genotype (GD-6) displayed upregulation of ethylene signaling/biosynthesis, root stunting and senescence related genes under As toxicity. Antioxidant defense system and cytokinin biosynthesis/signaling of both genotypes were strengthened under As + S.i + P, while the upregulation of potassium (K) and zinc (Zn) transporters depicted underlying cross-talk with iron (Fe) and P. Differential expression of phosphate transporters, peroxidases and GSTs, metal detoxification/transport proteins, as well as phytohormonal metabolism were responsible for As detoxification. Taken together, S. indica symbiosis fortified with adequate P-fertilizer can prove to be effective in minimizing As acquisition and accumulation in rice plants.

Competitive actions and supply chain relationships: How suppliers' value‐diminishing actions affect buyers' procurement decisions

AbstractWhile greater competitive activity is generally associated with competitive advantage, certain competitive actions by a supplier may have spillover effects that adversely impact buying firms, leading them to reduce future purchases from the supplier. We study the effects of competitive actions in the context of vertical buyer–supplier relationships. Specifically, leveraging insights from screening theory, we examine how a supplier firm's value‐diminishing competitive actions—moves that may negatively impact buyer firms—lead to subsequent reductions in the buyer's procurement allocations and how contextual factors moderate such adverse effects. We test the associated hypotheses using a panel dataset comprising 12,690 dyadic buyer–supplier observations. A series of econometric analyses provide consistent evidence that a supplier's value‐diminishing actions are associated with decreases in the buyer's purchases from the supplier, thus highlighting the “dark side” of competitive actions. Furthermore, we find that the supplier's downstream vertical relatedness and the degree to which rival suppliers pursue value‐diminishing actions moderate this effect. Our findings, thus, add to our understanding of factors that shape the success and continuity of supply chain relationships and help supplier firms evaluate the economic viability of their competitive actions.

An Operational Attributes of Sri Lanka's Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and India's MSME Sectors in the Perspectives of Digital Transformation and Its Emergence in a Developing Economy

In Sri Lanka, over 75% of enterprises are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and they generate 52% of the country's GDP and are essential to the country's economy (Kulasinghe et al., 2018). Cutting-edge competition, limited supply and price control, and resource constraints are just a few of the challenges Sri Lankan SMEs face in developing and expanding. Due to their lack of access barriers, cost reduction efforts, and rigid customer and supplier relationships, SMEs find acquiring traditional competitive advantages like differentiation or pricing challenging. To adapt their business models and strategies in response, many companies are experiencing a digital transformation. This article examines how SMEs might use digital transformation as a strategic effort to meet these issues. The report outlines the potential advantages of digital transformation for SMEs in Sri Lanka and indicates areas that need more study through a thorough literature analysis. The study uses a concept paper format, focuses on empirical data, and mainly analyzes Sri Lanka's SME market. The article's conclusion outlines potential paths for study and research in this area.

Assessment of ecosystem service flow and optimization of spatial pattern of supply and demand matching in Pearl River Delta, China

Exploring the spatial flow pattern of ecosystem services and clarifying the transmission path between the supply area and the demand area will help to formulate more scientific and reasonable ecological protection policies. This paper takes the rapid urbanization area representing the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration as an example. Using Invest model to quantitative the assessment of the supply and demand of carbon sequestration services and water ecosystem services from 2000 to 2020, a spatial flow model of ecosystem services is constructed to clarify the spatial flow of regional ecosystem services pattern. In addition, the Geo-detector model is used to explore the driving factors of the supply and demand relationship of ecosystem services, and the spatiotemporal geographic weighted regression model is further used to analyze the temporal and spatial differentiation of the impact degree. Finally, based on the Bayesian belief network, the optimal state factor configuration is selected to optimize the spatial pattern, and the corresponding optimization strategy is given. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The supply of carbon sequestration services in the Pearl River Delta decreased gradually during 2000–2020, while the demand increased gradually. The supply of water ecosystem services increased first and then decreased, while the demand showed a downward trend. (2) In terms of spatial heterogeneity of supply and demand matching, the main driving factors of carbon sequestration services included night light brightness value, temperature and vegetation index; The main driving factors of water ecosystem services include night light brightness value, land use type and vegetation index. (3) In terms of optimal areas for supply and demand matching, carbon sequestration services were mainly distributed in Zhaoqing, Huizhou and Jiangmen; The optimal matching areas of water ecosystem service supply and demand were mainly distributed in Zhaoqing, Guangzhou, Huizhou and other cities.

Supplier involvement in NPD projects: the buyer's perspective on the complementary roles of social capital and social exchange for project performance

PurposeBuying firms involve suppliers early in New Product Development (NPD) projects to benefit from their capabilities. The authors investigate the joint impact on project performance improvement, of the social capital established throughout the project, and the strategic preferred buyer/supplier statuses awarded prior to the project, from the buyer's perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe authors propose a conceptual model underlining the complementary contribution to project performance of social capital dimensions and of preferred partners' statuses resulting from social exchange expectations. The model is analyzed with Partial Least Squares using 80 responses of purchasers and R&D managers involved in collaborative NPD projects with suppliers.FindingsThe relational capital built during the project has a positive central role, with a direct impact on NPD project performance and mediating effects through cognitive and structural capitals. The preferred partners' statuses have strong direct impacts on performance, and mediating effects that do not completely supplant the social capital's contribution.Practical implicationsThe implications for the efficient management of supplier involvement are twofold. First, the authors encourage strategic investments of buying firms to acquire preferred buyer's status and to support preferred supplier programs. Second, the authors alert them on the importance of establishing trust and shared cognition during the project.Originality/valueThis study captures NPD project performance from the social angle of buyer–supplier relationship management. It demonstrates the complementarity of relationship management at the strategic and operational levels, before and during the project unfolding.

The Impact of Customer-Reported Cybersecurity Breaches on Key Supplier Innovations and Relationship Disruption

ABSTRACT Cybersecurity breaches (CBs) negatively influence the breached firms’ business functions, including their innovative investments. Recent research documents a spillover effect of CBs into supply chain firm performance. We extend this research and investigate the impact of customers’ CBs on suppliers’ innovative investments and the disruption of supplier-customer relationships. We find a significant negative association between customers’ reported CBs and suppliers’ innovative investments in the subsequent year. In addition, we find customer-reported CBs increase the likelihood of supplier-customer relationship disruption in the subsequent year. Our study contributes to the broader understanding of the negative impacts of CBs not only on the breached firm’s financial performance but also on key supplier innovation decisions. Data Availability: Data are available from the public sources cited in the text. JEL Classifications: L14; L29; M49; O30.

Food fraud and mitigating strategies of UK food supply chain during COVID-19.

Covid-19 had shown the vulnerability of the food supply chain and fraudsters may take advantage of the pandemic whilst the population needed a continuous supply of safe and quality food. The lack of monitoring and policing in the food supply chain may encourage fraudsters to upscale their operations. Previous studies had warned of a surge in fraudulent products due to COVID-19. This raised the question on whether food fraud had increased during the pandemic? This study aims to investigate food fraud during COVID-19 and how the food supply chain develops mitigating strategies against fraudulent activities. A mixed-method approach including survey and semi-structured interviews were conducted among UK food businesses. Two hundred and two agri-food businesses responded to the survey and 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The majority of the food businesses did not experience an increase of food fraud activities during COVID-19. Two thematic domains and ten sub-themes were identified from the data set. There was a heightened sense of anticipation and preparation for increased fraudulent activities during the pandemic. The main risk mitigating strategies included horizon scanning; developing and maintaining supplier relationship and assurance; understanding product characteristics, testing capabilities, conducting vulnerability assessments and training. Practical and cost-effective strategies for small and medium food businesses were recommended. This is the first empirical study on food fraud and mitigating strategies of the UK food supply chain during the pandemic. Our findings provide evidence for informing the policies and practices of the food regulatory authorities as well as best practices to protect the UK food supply chain against food fraud during exogenous shocks like COVID-19.

Building supply chain resilience and antifragility: strategies and technologies for mitigating disruptions

This paper examines the role of redundancy and robust supplier relationships in enhancing supply chain resilience, specifically focusing on the cosmetics industry. It explores strategic redundancy measures such as maintaining safety stock levels, diversifying transportation modes, strategic distribution center locations, and collaborating with backup suppliers. The study further discusses the importance of robust supplier relationships and details strategies to strengthen these relationships, including effective communication, collaborative planning, aligning goals, and fair and ethical treatment. To illustrate these concepts, the paper leverages case studies from global corporations, including Unilever, Estée Lauder, Toyota, Nike, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Apple, and Walmart. Conclusively, it provides future outlooks and actionable recommendations for enhancing resilience in the cosmetics industry's supply chain.

Implementing a centralised procurement strategy for global supplier base management

This research investigates how a global engineering firm can implement a centrally managed, globally integrated supplier base. Based on in-depth evidence from a single longitudinal case study, we identify different approaches for the case company to integrate their local supplier base into a multi-step process: first, the company attempted supplier base reduction by ‘cutting the tail’ off a vast supplier base. Second, they prioritised suppliers based on groupings and importance across the global supply network. Third, the case company tested supplier relationship management with a small selection of suppliers, resulting in improving their own delivery performance. Based on these insights, we propose a conceptual framework of global supplier base management. We discuss this framework in relation to the supply management and global operations literature. This paper contributes to the operations and supply chain management literature by offering an initial understanding for global sourcing strategies through integrating a previously localised supplier base into a globally consistent approach to managing the supplier base.

Investigating the role of apparel supplier satisfaction in developing a collaborative buyer–supplier relationship: a power-dependency perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the affective and cognitive dimensions of satisfaction that impact the buyer-supplier relationship (BSR) from the supplier's perspective and to consider satisfaction within the context of power-dependency theory.Design/methodology/approachQualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 Chinese apparel supply professionals who regularly interact with apparel buyers. Audio or video interviews were conducted via WeChat (the most popular social media platform in China).FindingsA thematic analysis of the interview data revealed that both affective and cognitive dimensions of satisfaction impact the BSR. A model of supplier affective and cognitive satisfaction in a collaborative BSR was developed to illustrate the connections between the two dimensions.Originality/valuesDue to intense competition in the market, supplier satisfaction is essential for building relationships in the apparel industry. Existing studies have focused on satisfaction from the perspective of the buyer rather than the supplier because in a BSR, the buyer tends to hold more power. Moreover, research has primarily considered cognitive evaluations of satisfaction with the BSR. This study offers new insight on both cognitive and affective satisfaction from the perspective of suppliers within the context of power-dependency theory.

Взаимоотношения торговой организации с поставщиками: как добиться конкурентного преимущества

The article presents the author’s vision of supplier relationship management in the logistics system of a trade organization to ensure competitive advantages. Supplier selection is an actual and important stage in the implementation of procurement management functions. Effective management of this aspect of activity contributes to the establishment of ways of interaction with companies that provide logistics to the organization. Finding suitable suppliers and establishing long-term relationships with them can help companies provide customers with quality products and services at competitive prices and without interruption. The “right” suppliers will reduce the risks associated with instability in the supply chain. The authors have given a new interpretation of the term “Supplier relationship Management”. Supplier relationship management is decision-making to improve the ways of interaction in the procurement process between counterparties of trade and logistics activities. At the same time, the authors consider the effectiveness of interaction with suppliers in the procurement process as an internal competitive advantage. In addition, the authors identified the connection, commonality and difference between the concepts of “value chain” and “supply chain”. The work analyzed the stages of the procurement process, identified problems in the organization of procurement management. The results of the study and the proposed recommendations can serve as a basis for improving the organization and management of logistics, procurement activities of a trade organization to ensure competitive advantages. New parameters for determining the order of purchases, criteria for evaluating the supplier, and effective work on his choice will reduce costs, save on reducing the number of defects, etc. Research results: criteria have been developed according to which it is necessary to take into account: price, supply discipline, quality, payment terms, territorial remoteness, cooperation experience, satisfaction of complaints, order execution time; the algorithm of interaction between supplier and consumer in the supplier relationship management system is presented; new parameters for determining the procurement procedure and supplier evaluation criteria are defined.

Investigating the quality of the relationship, supply risk mitigation on medium and large-sized manufacturing firms' supply chain performance in the developing countries: the moderating effect of supplier involvement

PurposeDue to the current volatile environment and fierce competition, manufacturing firms (MFs) must improve their performance to survive. In this regard, checking and monitoring the suppliers' risk should significantly improve the performance of MFs. In addition, a relation based on not being an opportunist, confidence and reliance are influential factors in reducing the supplier defaults on his/her supply obligations and improving supply chain performance (SCP). Besides, the moderator function of supplier involvement (SI) in the relationship between quality of the relationship (QoR) and supply risk mitigation (SRM) is undeniable.Design/methodology/approachBased on the survey of 148 samples from small to large-sized MFs in Jordan, Turkey and Egypt, empirical evidence has been conducted to support a majority of the authors’ hypotheses. This paper provides a theoretical review of buyer–supplier relationships and supply risk. Hypotheses were tested by using structural equation modeling (SEM)/Smart PLS-4.FindingsAccording to the results, confidence and reliance have statistically significant and positive impacts on SRM, resulting in better SCP. Moreover, the findings show that SI positively affects and moderates the relationship between confidence (C) and SRM, while it has no statistically significant influence on the relationship between reliance (R) and SRM.Practical implicationsThis study provides necessary material for managers and decision-makers in MFs to confirm the importance and understanding of the QoR in building relationships and business dealings with partners in the SC, in addition to limiting and mitigating the risks of an interruption in supply in particular. Therefore, building a high-quality relationship as a practice based on trust and reliability with suppliers positively affects the performance of the SCs of MFs.Originality/valueThis research paper offers empirical evidence for using QoR within SRM resources of MFs' context for enhancing their supply chain performance. This study is one of few studies that examine the QoR and SRM that contribute to enhancing SCP in MFs in developing countries, which also can serve as a reference for many SC managers and practitioners.

Information sharing in African perishable agri-food supply chains: a systematic literature review and research agenda

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to provide a review of state-of-the-art literature on information sharing in the context of African perishable agri-food supply chains (AFSCs). In doing so, the authors hope to stimulate further research and advance both theory and practice on African perishable AFSCs, which is a relevant, but under-investigated context.Design/methodology/approachThe authors’ systematic literature review covers a period of 21 years (2000–2021). After providing the bibliometric and methodological insights related to this sample of literature, the authors provide a detailed analysis and discussion of the key aspects of information sharing in African perishable AFSCs, based on a review framework grounded in the information sharing literature.FindingsThe authors’ review revealed that information sharing in African AFSCs is still in its nascent stage. Findings are based on four themes of (1) why share information (mainly to gain market access), (2) what information is shared (price and market information) (3) how it is shared (still traditional communication, with limited adoption of digital technologies?) and (4) antecedents, drivers and barriers (technology adoption and socio-economic background of Africans).Research limitations/implicationsThis paper outlines a research agenda for advancing the theory on information sharing in AFSCs. Furthermore, the review highlights the importance of context, supply chain structure, relationships, product characteristics and culture in studying AFSCs.Originality/valueA review on information sharing in African perishable AFSCs does not appear to exist in operations and supply chain management (O&SCM) and agribusiness journals.

Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Food Supply-Demand Balance in Uzbekistan under Different Scenarios.

The food supply-demand balance is a perpetual concern for many countries, especially developing countries, such as Uzbekistan. Using the land resource carrying capacity model, here, food supply and demand for the cereals and calories in Uzbekistan during 1995-2020 were revealed. Despite increased demand for cereals and calories, unstable crop production has led to volatile growth patterns. The carrying capacity of cropland resources under Uzbekistan's consumption standard shifted from overload to surplus and then to balance. Moreover, the carrying capacity of cropland resources under the healthy diet standard moved from balance to surplus in the past 25-years. Additionally, the calorific equivalent land resource carrying capacity under Uzbekistan's consumption standard fluctuated, with the carrying state shifting from balance to surplus, and the healthy diet standard still in overload. These findings can help guide sustainable production and consumption strategies in Uzbekistan and other countries by analyzing the consumption structure and changes in supply and demand relationships.

On decidability of existence of nonblocking supervisors resilient to smart sensor attacks

Cybersecurity of discrete event systems (DES) has been gaining more and more attention recently, due to its high relevance to the so-called 4th industrial revolution that heavily relies on data communication among networked systems. One key challenge is how to ensure system resilience to sensor and/or actuator attacks, which may tamper data integrity and service availability. In this paper we focus on some key decidability issues related to smart sensor attacks. We first present a sufficient and necessary condition that ensures the existence of a smart sensor attack, which reveals a novel demand–supply relationship between an attacker and a controlled plant, represented as a set of risky pairs. Each risky pair consists of a damage string desired by the attacker and an observable sequence feasible in the supervisor such that the latter induces a sequence of control patterns, which allows the damage string to happen. It turns out that each risky pair can induce a smart weak sensor attack. Next, we show that, when the plant, supervisor and damage language are regular, it is possible to remove all such risky pairs from the plant behaviour, via a genuine encoding scheme, upon which we are able to establish our key result that the existence of a nonblocking supervisor resilient to smart sensor attacks is decidable. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first result of its kind in the DES literature on cyber attacks. The proposed decision process renders a specific synthesis procedure that guarantees to compute a resilient supervisor whenever it exists, which so far has not been achieved in the literature.

Fabrizex: creating a technology platform for global supply chains

Subject area Supply Chain Management, Technology, Procurement, Supply Chain Finance Learning outcomes The key learning objectives are as follows: to gain critical insights into e-commerce supply chains of fashion garments; understand the importance of digitization to manage the risks due to supply chain disruptions; evaluate the role of digitization to improve supply chain performance; understand the importance of supply chain finance in maintaining a healthy buyer–supplier relationship; and appreciate the role of supply chain digitization to transform a regional supply chain into a global supply chain. Case overview/synopsis This case highlights the challenges faced by fashion garments industry due to fragmented nature of their supply chains, where the manufacturing base was in the east and most of the consumers in the west. Digitization can create a bridge to integrate these supply chains to drive out their inefficiency, fragility and vulnerability to disruptions. Complexity academic level The case could be discussed in 90 min of an Operations Management, Supply Chain Management and Technology Management class at MBA or Executive MBA level. Supplementary Material Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 9: Operations and Logistics.

Assessing Environmental Sustainability Based on the Three-Dimensional Emergy Ecological Footprint (3D EEF) Model: A Case Study of Gansu Province, China

Quantifying the supply and demand relationship between human social consumption and natural ecosystem resources is an effective way to assess the sustainability of ecosystem services. This paper introduces the concepts of footprint size (EFsize) and depth (EFdepth) to emergy analysis to establish a three-dimensional emergy ecological footprint (3D EEF) model and evaluates the environmental sustainability development of Gansu Province from 2001 to 2020. The results show that the minimum value of the 3D emergy ecological footprint (EEF3D) of Gansu Province was 5.98 × 107 hm2 and that the maximum value was 1.41 × 108 hm2. The EEFdepth was slightly more than one in 2015 and 2016, and the ecological resources were in deficit. However, the ecological service system from 2001 to 2020 was almost in a sustainable state. The region’s emergy carrying capacity (ECC) and emergy ecological footprint (EEF) from 2021 to 2030 are predicted using the ARIMA and GM (1, 1) models. The projections show that the ECC and EEF will increase year by year from 2021 to 2030. In the short term, the flow of natural capital can satisfy the development requirements. Finally, policy recommendations are provided for the ecological sustainability of the region.

Isotopic insights on quantitative assessments of interaction of eco-hydrological processes in multi-scale karst watersheds

The dynamics of hydrological processes and the storage mechanisms of karst water resources are the most important issues in karst hydrology. The impact of environmental changes on water quantity, and the evaluation and quantification of eco-hydrological processes remain poorly addressed. In this study, high-frequency continuous monitoring in multi-scale karst watersheds in Southwest China combined the approaches of water isotopes and the hybrid single-particle lagrangian integrated trajectory (HYSPLIT) model to identify the recharge mechanisms between atmospheric vapor, rainfall, surface water, and groundwater, and to reveal the interaction of eco-hydrological processes. The dominant moisture sources in Puding (PD) County were the Indian Ocean (43–69%) and local moisture (24–33%). The δ18O and deuterium excess (d-excess) values showed a positive correlation indicating that secondary or sub-cloud evaporation was prominent in the wet seasons. Karst water line-conditioned excess (lc-excess) indicated that karst water interacted with recent precipitation, groundwater, and evaporation across seasons. Owing to its specific hydrogeological structure, surface water and rainwater have a higher contribution rate to groundwater replenishment. The Chenqi stream replenished the Houzhai River mainly in the form of groundwater, with percentages ranging from 38.1 to 93.5% in the wet season, and 47.8–80.1% in the dry season. In the Houzhai outlet, surface water and groundwater interconverted frequently with a percentage of 45.6–49.1%. We believe this is the first systematic study to quantify the supply relationship between water vapor transport, rainfall, surface water and groundwater in the Chinese karst zone, making a significant move forward in the field of karst hydrological processes and improving the efficiency of water resource evaluation and management.