Supply Chain Management Research Research Articles

Editorial Commentary: Addressing Confusion in the Diffusion of Archival Data Research

Supply chain management researchers are increasingly using archival data to push boundaries of existing knowledge. Archival data provide opportunities to address new research questions and offer fresh perspectives on old questions. This editorial seeks to establish a common ground regarding research design, measurement validity, and endogeneity to help both authors and reviewers fully utilize archival data to advance supply chain management knowledge.

The dark side of sustainable dairy supply chains

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the dark side of supermarket-driven sustainable dairy supply chains. This paper raises questions about the unintended consequences of implementing sustainable supply chain management in the dairy food supply chain. It critically questions whether unintended consequences were actually, anticipated, as the course of action taken by retailers reinforces the dominant profitability discourse.Design/methodology/approachThrough a critical management studies approach, this paper challenges the dominant discourse to shed light on the social consequences of the win-win sustainable supply chain management in the dairy food supply chain. The focus of this paper is on the experiences of farmers, taking their viewpoint of sustainable supply chains rather than taking the perspective of the multinationals who have traditionally been the focus of supply chain management research (e.g. McCarthy et al., 2018; Quarshie et al., 2016).FindingsThe study illuminates how retailers have bolstered their dominant position through using sustainable supply chains to exert further control over their suppliers. The management of sustainable supply chains has been a further catalyst in economically and socially dividing rural communities and creating tensions between dairy farmers.Originality/valueThis paper uses an ethnographic study to provide in-depth stories of the changes that took place within one farming community. It exposes the hidden ways in which the introduction of a sustainable dairy supply chain has created social and economic division, further reducing the collective power of dairy farmers through creating a dual supply chain.

Broadening the Sight Lines of Supply Chain Management Research Through Discourse Analysis

Inspired by the conference theme of “Broadening our Sight”, this presenter symposium illustrates how supply chain management (SCM) research could make more numerous and impactful contributions to addressing major organizational, societal, and professional challenges if its use of qualitative research methods was complemented with discourse analysis. The symposium also responds to recent calls for ‘in-house’ theory development within the discipline of SCM and diversification towards broader research methods, including those that involve qualitative and critical forms of data collection and analysis. Using examples that are familiar to SCM researchers – the discourses of sustainability and modern slavery – we illustrate how discourse analysis can help to theorize SCM phenomena by problematizing established meanings and revealing how they reproduce power relations among actors. We show how insights from discourse analysis can complement existing theories of the supply chain and, in so doing, potentially rejuvenate the field of SCM by inspiring novel theory development, opening up different empirical settings, and promoting new ways of analyzing qualitative data. Overview of Discourse Analysis - An Organization and Management Studies Perspective Presenter: Cynthia Hardy; U. of Melbourne Discourse Analysis and Sustainable Supply Chain Management Presenter: Steve Maguire; U. of Sydney Business School Application of Discourse Analysis to Modern Slavery in Supply Chains Presenter: Vikram Bhakoo; U. of Melbourne

Wisdom from Arabian networks: a review and theory of regional supply chain management

The purpose of this article is to present a systematic review of the supply chain management (SCM) research on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Using 75 journal articles from high quality SCM-related publication outlets, the review finds three main SCM complexities of managing supply chain uncertainty: (i) strategically selecting and integrating network resources, (ii) reliably contracting and delivering high-quality solutions, and (iii) cost-effectively controlling and financing operational expansions. The review also finds that managers configure supply chains involving GCC countries with emphasis on ‘productivity–efficiency’, ‘relationship-building’, ‘technology-enabling’, ‘environmental-consciousness’, and ‘conformance-improvement’ orientations. These orientations represent the different themes for competitiveness at chain–chain levels. With insights from the review, the article develops foundations for an orientation theory, a culturation theory and an organic view of supply chains. The article also discusses prospects for future regional SCM research.

Strategic sustainable purchasing, environmental collaboration, and organizational sustainability performance: the moderating role of supply base size

Purpose This paper aims to examines the moderating effect of small vs large supply base size on the relationship between strategic sustainable purchasing (SSP) and organizational sustainability performance (OSP). SSP is conceptualized as a dynamic capability consisting of strategic purchasing and environmental purchasing. Environmental collaboration is conceptualized as a mediator between SSP and OSP. Extant research has not examined the effect of the size of the supply base on the relationship between SSP and OSP. Design/methodology/approach The hypothesized relationships are tested using a two-step multi-group analysis in partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings A small supply base size positively moderates the relationship between SSP and environmental collaboration, thus achieving OSP. In contrast, when the supply base is large, strategic purchasing is positively associated with environmental collaboration, while environmental purchasing is negatively related to environmental collaboration. A large supply base has a positive relationship to environmental collaboration and economic sustainability, while the relationship between environmental collaboration and environmental and social performance is not significant. Practical implications This research argues that despite the nuances in the moderating effects of small versus large supply base size, managers need to invest in both dynamic and relational capabilities to achieve organizational sustainability. Originality/value Scant research is available in supply chain management research that has examined the important effect of the supply base size on the relationship between SSP and OSP. This research aims to fill this gap. The study helps practitioners understand the effects of supply base sizes for their organizations, increase interrelationships among suppliers, reduce the level of differentiation among them, and, thereby, reduce costs and increase revenues.

Healthcare commodities for emergencies in Africa: review of logistics models, suggested model and research agenda

PurposeEnormous numbers of people suffer from the effects of disasters and humanitarian crises in Africa, including medical and healthcare emergencies. International response to the 2014–2016 Ebola pandemic in West Africa and COVID 19 pandemic vividly demonstrates the need for efficient and effective logistics and supply chain systems in bringing succor to impacted and vulnerable communities. This paper critically reviews the academic literature on logistics models for sourcing, delivery and distribution of medical and healthcare products for humanitarian emergencies in Africa from 1990 to 2018. The paper suggests areas for further research and proposes an effective logistics model useful for international and national humanitarian organizations as well as public health authorities in Africa and developing areas.Design/methodology/approachThe viewpoint paper draws upon a structured comprehensive and critical review of the academic literature on logistics and supply chain management and a qualitative analysis of the literature in 13 leading academic databases covering over 5,550 articles.FindingsThe paper finds significant gaps in the body of logistics and supply chain management research on practical deployable logistics models for sourcing, delivery, and distribution of medical and healthcare products for humanitarian emergencies. The paper suggests a model worthy of consideration by humanitarian and disaster response stakeholders as well as public health authorities in developing countries.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a critical literature review paper based on a comprehensive literature research and analysis for the period from 1990 to 2018 from which a viewpoint is formed.Social implicationsThis paper advocates for further research on appropriate models of logistics for the sourcing, delivery and distribution of medical and healthcare products to enhance the basic human rights and dignity of vulnerable people in developing countries.Originality/valueThe paper contributes directly to policy on logistics, humanitarian aid, disaster management, public health and health security policy in the developing world including Africa.

Understanding the relationship between general and middle-range theorizing

PurposeGeneral theories have been criticized for their inability to explore the mechanics of more specific domain knowledge and understand how, when and where general theory applies to and extends domain knowledge in supply chain management (SCM). Middle-range theorizing (MRT) is a potential solution to this limitation. This paper aims to assist researchers in understanding the relationship between MRT and general theorizing (GT) and connecting MRT research findings to general theory.Design/methodology/approachThis research provides a structured literature review of 518 articles, from eight journals in logistics, SCM and operations management. Theoretically based articles are analyzed by primary domain and SCM context.FindingsThere are frameworks for conducting MRT; however, the literature does not sufficiently assist researchers in understanding how middle-range (MR) theory should relate to general theory. Findings include a better understanding of underserved areas in SCM, guideline frameworks for understanding when to apply MRT, when to apply GT and how MRT knowledge can be connected to SCM domain knowledge.Originality/valueThis study provides a timely and appropriate compilation of theory research in SCM, including significant implications for both theory and practice, by helping to articulate the evolving philosophy of science in SCM.

Lean and Agile model implementation for managing the supply chain

Abstract Even though both researchers and practitioners propose several approaches to supply chain management research and the scientific literature shows that several methods have been implemented for supply chain management, the studies carried out have not revealed a formalized process or a clear method for supply chain integration. Indeed, there is a specific way to achieve this integration in the supply chain and there are differences in how one company does it compared to another. More recently, an alternative based on the Lean and Agile paradigms has been presented. The implementation of the Lean and Agile models to the supply chain aims to improve and simplify the production and the process of minimizing or eliminating wastes of all kinds, raise the productivity of the supply chain, increase the capability to respond quickly to unpredictable and changing customer demands and to take advantage of the uncertainty and the volatility of the market in the medium term. The main objective of this paper is to conduct an impact study on the implementation of Lean and Agile models in the supply chain, based on a review of the scientific literature concerning the models implemented to improve the productivity of the supply chain. We aim to identify and analyze the research carried out regarding the implementation of Lean and Agile models in order to improve the supply chain management, the results achieved and future research directions. Although the Lean and Agility paradigms are distinct and can be developed differently, they can be successfully integrated into a well-designed supply chain integration that involves a substantial degree of ambiguity in terms of significance and level of application across different supply chains, in order to increase the capacity to act, react and adapt to changes in demand and supply.

Pandemics and Supply Chain Management Research: Toward a Theoretical Toolbox.

ABSTRACTThe COVID‐19 pandemic paralyzed the world and revealed the critical importance of supply chain management—perhaps more so than any other event in modern history—in navigating crises. The extensive scope of disruption, massive spillover of effects across countries and industries, and extreme shifts in demand and supply that occurred during the COVID‐19 pandemic illustrate that pandemics are qualitatively different from typical disruptions. As such, pandemics require scholars to take a fresh look at what lenses offer understanding of supply chain phenomena in order to help supply chain managers better prepare for the next pandemic and foster transiliency (i.e., the ability to simultaneously restore some processes and change—often radically—others). To help scholars and managers achieve these aims, we offer an agenda for supply chain management research on pandemics by considering how the key tenets of well‐known and emergent theories can illuminate challenges and potential solutions. Specifically, we consider how resource dependence theory, institutional theory, resource orchestration theory, structural inertia, game theory, real options theory, event systems theory, awareness–motivation–capability framework, prospect theory, and tournament theory offer ideas that can help scholars build knowledge about pandemics’ effects on supply chains as well as help managers formulate responses.

Motivating Factors for Implementing Apparel Certification Schemes—A Sustainable Supply Chain Management Perspective

The motivations for clothing companies to implement dedicated certification schemes as sustainability practices has received limited attention in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) research so far. Therefore, it is important to understand how different rationales for the implementation of certification schemes have developed in the past because they considerably influence the overall success of sustainability management efforts. This paper picks up on this gap and presents the results of an in-depth comparative case study drawing on interviews conducted with five managers of three companies from the clothing sector in 2018 and abductive content analysis. By applying such a qualitative approach, this study explores motivations and benefits as well as elaborates on the implementation of certification schemes in apparel supply chains. It outlines that certification in the clothing sector is driven by strategic factors, marketing considerations, and information considering sustainability aspects. The study also shows that certification schemes may strengthen the marketing and competitive position of clothing companies as well as sustainability awareness in textile and apparel supply chains in general. Finally, a framework conceptualized from the findings of the interviews presents relevant SSCM practices in the clothing industry. Therefore, the present study contributes to theory building in SSCM by confirming and extending previous research on the implementation of certification schemes for sustainability, as well as to practice by examining reasons to apply certification schemes and potential performance outcomes.

Operations/supply chain management in a new world context

After some decades of relative stability, admittedly with some turbulent events such as the 2008–10 global financial crisis, many operations and supply chains had reached a relatively mature state of stability in late 2019. The current pandemic has placed a lot of stress on many systems and many people, and seems to be exacerbating the world’s focus on many other challenges that were simmering or growing. These provide in aggregate a new set of challenges for the whole world of work and its economies, and within that for the design of operations and supply chains. Going forward, and ultimately with the pandemic behind us, economic conditions will be changed for a long time, and hence the context of trade, production and distribution, and at a micro-level, the nature of work will have new challenges to overcome and with that, new opportunities. As incoming editors a year ago, our 2019 editorial described 14 topic areas deserving of research and professional practical attention in operations and supply chain management (O/SCM), that are still important and deserving of scholarly and practical work (Samson and Kalchschmidt, 2019). While the topics such as supply chain risk, sustainability and new technology have remained relevant, the context of our world, our organisations, and the way we work and consume, within which O/SCM operates, have changed markedly in a short time. Many new challenges have emerged or been sharpened and refocussed. Certainly, this brings new research problems. Many of the new conditions that O/SCM work within are either directly or indirectly related to the global pandemic that has swept across the planet. We encourage researchers to study and submit papers to Operations Management Research that are of course of high quality in every way and focussed on these contemporary issues. We have initiated special issues and also welcome such papers and studies for our regular stream. We are also of course seeing a healthy stream of more traditional articles, and we continue to welcome these.

Supply Chain Management and Logistics: An Editorial Approach for a New Era

Supply Chain Management and Logistics: An Editorial Approach for a New Era

토픽모델링과 소셜 네트워크 분석을 이용한 공급사슬관리 연구 탐색

We explored research dynamics in supply chain management(SCM) based on topic modeling and social network analysis. We used latent Dirichlet allocation for topic models and author co-citation analysis for social network analysis. We queried Web of Science database with ‘supply chain management’ and collected 10,538 research articles between 2002 and 2019. We used R program packages for topic modeling and CiteSpace for social network analysis. First, we explored how SCM research have developed in this period including publication trends, Web of Science categories, top 15 journals and research institutes. Second, we found 14 topics in supply chain management and identified three hot topics(Green SCM, Healthcare SCM, and Sustainable SCM) and three cold topics(Bullwhip Effect, Information Sharing, and Supply Chain Integration). Third, we examined the major researchers in SCM such as Sarkis J, Zhu QH, Gunasekaran A, and Seuring S and visualized the relationship among them with the author network. Fourth, we identified major keywords in SCM to represent the keyword network with the relationship among them. Performance is the most popular keyword. Inventory management and supplier-related words such as supplier development and supply evaluation stand next. Finally, conclusions and potential direction for further research were provided.

Identification and analysis of enablers of SCM by using MCDM approach

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to differentiate the empowering influences of critical enablers of supply chain management (SCM) along with their interrelationships. These empowering enablers are significant, as they encourage productive execution to improve organizational performance and stakeholder's satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachFrom the literature review, incidence of a number of SCM enablers were found and they were subjected to critical scrutiny by a considerable number of experts engaged in SCM research and application to identify significant and applicable empowering enablers by grounded interactions. By using Impact Matrix Cross-Reference Multiplication Applied to a Classification analysis, the driving and dependence power were analyzed and the empowering enablers were ordered. This was pursued by building up a structural model of the empowering enablers using interpretive structure modeling, followed with measuring cause–effect relationship using decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL).FindingsAmong these identified enablers of SCM, operational performance, green SCM, employee empowerment and motivation and strategic association came out to be strategic enablers.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings may help the practicing professionals to develop clarity in understanding of these essential enablers and their contextual as well as cause–effect relationship in SCM. The practicing professionals need to focus on all these enablers during implementation of SCM for enhancing the organizational performance and stake holders' satisfaction.Originality/valueThis study is of practical utility in real-life implementation of SCM. The algorithm used in applying the multi-criteria decision-making approach is very user-friendly, and the application of DEMATEL is an innovation compared to previous research. Further, the findings can be used as a benchmark for improving the performance of SCM by considering the cause–effect relationship.

Understanding 5G technology for future supply chain management

ABSTRACT The high bandwidth and low latency features of 5G network are perceived to offer a unified platform for multiple device connectivity in real time. Despite the promising benefits of disruptive 5G wireless technology, literature on 5G-enabled supply chain management is scarce. The paper, therefore, explores the role of 5G and its impact on supply chain management through a systematic literature review. Various aspects of 5G technologies in an environment of Industry 4.0, Supply Chain 4.0 and supply chain processes are discussed. Bibliometric results reveal that 5G-enabled supply chain management is a very recent topic and published in a very limited way. We find that most studies have focussed on technical features of emerging 5G and its impact being conceptualised on Industry 4.0 and Supply Chain 4.0. Areas of future supply chain management research that can support 5G are discussed.

Collective action in SCM: a call for activist research

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the current focus of supply chain management (SCM) research; it considers field level and societal constraints and consequently the potential for change. It details the underlying assumptions in the field, considering the dominant paradigms and stakeholders, and how this has shaped the research we have engaged in as a community of scholars.Design/methodology/approachThis is a reflective inquiry that seeks to deconstruct the dominant discourses and paradigms in SCM. It offers alternative avenues of inquiry to “traditional” research, considering how different questions, perspectives and approaches might yield different learning for the field. offering alternative avenues to traditional research.FindingsThis is a call for collective action, for solidarity, for a re-imagining of what research in SCM could look like. Research activism is challenging and potentially risky but necessary for the research community to engage in, particularly in light of the global societal grand challenges. Change can take place in the SCM field through collective action and solidarity. Three levels of activism are explored here – acting to solve the grand challenges, acting to change the field and acting as individuals.Originality/valueThis is a “speak-out” piece, which embraces and encourages reflexivity, new methods of doing and writing research as well as different perspectives, and especially a consideration for context and multiple players in the supply chain. The authors contend that it is urgent to re-appropriate our own agency as SCM researchers.

Guidelines for establishing practical relevance in logistics and supply chain management research

PurposeRigor and practical relevance are the foundations for logistics and supply chain management (LSCM) as an applied discipline. Whereas there are well-founded criteria for establishing methodological rigor, researchers must provide their own credible logic as to why their papers can influence practice. Accordingly, this paper aims to develop guidelines for establishing practical relevance in research papers.Design/methodology/approachA literature review of LSCM, marketing, operations management and management journals forms the foundation for these guidelines.FindingsRelevance criteria are identified; research should be problem-driven, timely and important, and findings should be implementable, nonobvious, novel and not too costly. Measures for researchers demonstrating the fulfillment of these criteria are identified as practitioner input, gray literature, funding, practitioner involvement and feedback. Researchers should also clearly articulate both problem relevance and the relevance of their findings.Research limitations/implicationsA lack of practical relevance is among the reasons for the rejection of papers by LSCM journals, but researchers can overcome this obstacle using these guidelines.Practical implicationsAt a metalevel, this paper contributes to research with greater practical relevance.Originality/valuePractical relevance is emphasized in the editorials of LSCM journals but has not yet been fully conceptualized from the authors' perspective.

Transaction Cost Economics As a Theory of Supply Chain Efficiency

Transaction cost economics (TCE) is one of the most widely referenced organization theories in operations and supply chain management research. Even though TCE is a broadly applicable theory of governance, one of its specific topics of interest—the make‐or‐buy decision—readily aligns with some of the central research questions on how firms manage supply chains. However, both general management and operations management researchers sometimes misunderstand and misapply TCE's aims, assumptions, and logic. A common mistake is to read TCE as a theory of competence or of power. While TCE relates to both, TCE is essentially a theory of efficient governance of transactions in particular and exchange relationships in general. Our purpose in this study is to review the intellectual and theoretical foundations of TCE, its primary aims, and its applicability as a theory of supply chain efficiency. To this end, we discover much common ground between TCE and research in operations and supply chain management. We close by discussing implications for future research, focusing on how operations and supply chain management researchers could contribute to broader academic conversations on management and governance.

Technical Note: Recommendations for Assessing Unit Nonresponse Bias in Dyadic Focused Empirical Supply Chain Management Research

ABSTRACTThe last decade has seen an increase in empirical supply chain management research with dyadic data. Such data structures can further complicate the assessment of nonresponse bias, which plays a key role in establishing the credibility of research results. A survey of 75 research articles with dyadic data, published in five empirically focused supply chain management academic journals, over the last decade, reveals a lack of agreement on methods used in the assessment for potential unit nonresponse bias. Of the various statistical tests found, only the Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) approach allows for a single statistical test to be utilized in assessing for potential unit nonresponse bias via incorporation of the design structure of the dyadic data. We investigate the use of an effect size confidence interval coverage, of a MANOVA, to detect a meaningful difference between respondents and nonrespondents correctly. Our results show that with dyadic data, such meaningful differences can be detected with significantly smaller sample size requirements than traditional approaches such as t‐tests or ANOVA. Recommendations are provided for setting up and executing a MANOVA to assess for potential unit nonresponse bias with dyadic data.

Re‐imagining supply chain challenges through critical engaged research

In this manuscript, we explore how engaged research can support the development of the theory and practice of supply chain management (SCM) and present critical engaged research as an extended form of engaged research. The article’s main purpose is to examine more closely the relationship between critical engaged research and the process of theorizing. This essay presents an expanded model of knowledge production for the field of SCM and explores the opportunities for the production and co‐production of new knowledge types, with an emphasis on knowledge produced through a critical engagement with practice. We offer a discussion on how critical engaged research may be applied in SCM research to build, elaborate and test theory.