Supply Chain Management Topics Research Articles

Gamification in supply chain education: A comparative study of supply chain card games and board games in Malaysian tertiary institutions

Gamification has gained popularity in educational settings as a tool to enhance learning experiences. This research compares two well-known gamification tools, supply chain master card games and supply chain board games, in their capacity to teach supply chain management (SCM) concepts. Random sample interviews were conducted with students and employees to gather their perspectives on the games and SCM topics. The study evaluates the content delivery, level of understanding, and the advantages and disadvantages of using it for teaching and learning in a criteria table. It is aligned with the Sustainability Development Goal (SDG) 4 which is Quality Education in empowering sustainability through quality education. The findings demonstrate that gamification, including the use of these games, positively impacts the teaching and learning of supply chain management in Malaysian tertiary education. The results indicate that both the Supply Chain Card Game and the supply chain board game have significant advantages in enhancing student engagement, experiential learning, and the understanding of key SCM concepts which involve three (3) main measurements which are characteristics, content delivery, and level of understanding. It improves student engagement, facilitates active learning, and fosters essential skill development. The recognition of gamification's potential has led to policy initiatives supporting its integration into the curriculum, aligning with the goals of learner-centered and experiential education. However, challenges remain in implementing gamified learning approaches effectively. The Malaysian government should acknowledge gamification's potential and provide support for teachers to incorporate gamification tools, including training programs, workshops, and educational resources. By addressing implementation challenges, the sustained integration of gamified learning approaches can be ensured in the Malaysian education system. This research emphasizes the significance of gamification in enhancing teaching techniques and its positive impact on student learning outcomes in the field of supply chain management.

Exploring the Influence of Supply Chain Relationship Commitment and Loyalty in F&B Industry

Abstract Recently, supply chain management (SCM)has been receiving increasing attention from the industry. Most of the current research is focused on the high-tech industry and very little research has focused on SCM topics in the food and beverage (F&B) industry. In Taiwan, as the F&B industry is highly competitive, maintaining and building strong relationships with suppliers of ingredients or tableware is a way to maintain a competitive edge. Therefore, maintaining and building strong relationships with suppliers of ingredients or tableware required for restaurant operations is a way to maintain a competitive advantage. In addition, the perceived value, relationship commitment, satisfaction, switching costs and loyalty of supply chain buyers in the F&B industry is a matter that researchers want to probe when developing an ongoing understanding of SCM in the F&B industry. It has been discovered that the supplier-buyer relationships, when it comes to buyer perceived value and relationship commitment, increase customer satisfaction and increase switching costs as well as positively impact loyalty to the F&B supply chain seller. Therefore, in the rapidly dynamic business environment of the F&B industry, establishing an effective SCM system for the F&B industry can indeed enhance a company's competitive advantage. JEL classification numbers: L10. Keywords: Perceived value, Relationship commitment, Satisfaction, Loyalty.

An elastic constraint method for a multi-objective production-distribution planning problem with competition

Competition is one of the most important topics in supply chain management and it is considered widely in the last decades. This study aims to evaluate effects of Stackelberg and Cournot competition on integrated production-distribution (P-D) planning problem. Minimising cost and maximising satisfaction of service level are considered as two main objective functions then two competitive objective functions are developed within considered competitions. The presented competitive P-D model is totally unimodular and this feature makes the model to generate integer solutions without circumstance of integrality. Next, elastic constraint method is adopted to solve the developed competitive multi-objective model. Finally, numerical examples are conducted to evaluate capability of the proposed approach. According to the structure and assumptions of the proposed model, competition can increase cost of supply chain.

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.

An Elastic Constraint Method for a Multi-objective Production-Distribution Planning Problem with Competition

Competition is one of the most important topics in supply chain management and it is considered widely in the last decades. This study aims to evaluate effects of Stackelberg and Cournot competition on integrated production-distribution (P-D) planning problem. Minimising cost and maximising satisfaction of service level are considered as two main objective functions then two competitive objective functions are developed within considered competitions. The presented competitive P-D model is totally unimodular and this feature makes the model to generate integer solutions without circumstance of integrality. Next, elastic constraint method is adopted to solve the developed competitive multi-objective model. Finally, numerical examples are conducted to evaluate capability of the proposed approach. According to the structure and assumptions of the proposed model, competition can increase cost of supply chain.

Logistics knowledge creation in joint industry-academia research projects: the importance of dialogue and co-construction

ABSTRACTKnowledge creation in joint industry-academia research projects should be part of a knowledge strategy and a knowledge management (KM) approach in logistics and supply chain management (SCM). Based on an in-depth retrospective analysis of eight research projects carried out by researchers in collaboration with industry on strategic logistics and SCM topics, combining single and cross-case analysis, this article discusses logistics knowledge creation and points out the importance of industry-academia interactions, especially dialogue and co-construction, at each stage of a research project to create valuable logistics knowledge, both from a managerial and an academic point of view. It puts forward guidelines to improve the management of such projects and the quality of their outputs, especially logistics knowledge creation. Finally, it proposes a framework and opens avenues for further research with a view to deepening the dialogue and enriching the co-construction between industry and academia in strategic logistics and SCM research projects.

An analysis of supply chain management research by topic

PurposeThis paper aims to review logistics and supply chain management topics where theories have been applied to better understand the supply chain management (SCM) discipline identity. The purpose is threefold: to identify research topics in logistics and supply chain management where one or more theories have been examined; provide commentary on the theories that have been applied to the various logistics and SCM research topics; and to provide reference material and direction for future research.Design/methodology/approachThis structured literature review (SLR) examines research papers in logistics and SCM from 1991 to 2015 published in eight leading academic journals. Papers in the data set are grouped by topic and further analyzed in terms of research method, purpose, year and journal.FindingsThis research categorizes papers by the topics that were studied to understand important insights about how these topics have been examined by researchers. Within each topic area, theories that researchers have used to investigate the topics are identified. This method exposes insights such as: how topics have evolved over time, which topics have lost prominence, which topics may be particularly promising for future research and how topics are treated in the literature.Originality/valueDespite multiple calls for clarification regarding how theory has been used in logistics and SCM, the logistics and SCM disciplines continue to grow without adequate research on how theory has been used to examine SCM topics. This SLR therefore provides a broad compilation of logistics and SCM research that uses named theories and that is organized by SCM topic to better understand the SCM discipline.

An assessment model for RFID impacts on prevention and visibility of inventory inaccuracy presence

Bullwhip effect has been considered as one of major research topics in supply chain management. Most of the studies disregarded the mismatch between the recorded inventory and the reality. However, it is shown that the inventory inaccuracy under uncertainty is a widespread phenomenon in both retail and distribution centers. Due to the propagation of information distortion along the supply chain, the financial impacts of inventory inaccuracy include not only the cost of direct inventory loss but also the increasing holding and shortage cost at each stage. The emergence of RFID technology offers a possible solution to alleviate the growing cost of inventory inaccuracy. By making full use of RFID technology, this paper attempts to compare the inventory inaccuracy impact on bullwhip effect in terms of order variance amplification and supply chain performance under two scenarios: (1) all members are aware of the inaccuracy and optimize their operations; (2) all members deploy RFID technology to reduce inventory inaccuracy. Informed order policy is used as benchmark to capture the true RFID value and differentiate two types of RFID impacts, prevention and visibility, to provide more manageable insight. In particular, the incentive of sharing information in supply chain is also provided by comparing the cost of two supply chain settings.

Editorial

Being appointed as the co-editors of JSCM is both a great honor and a significant responsibility. Our heartfelt thanks go to the outgoing editorial team, who worked tirelessly to transform JSCM into a premiere journal, leaving us with a considerable legacy. The best way we can honor that legacy is to build on what they have done and continue to progress JSCM along its present trajectory. We have no intention of changing the Journal's focus or direction. The Journal's mission is and will remain to be THE journal of choice among supply chain scholars across disciplines, by attracting high-quality, high-impact behavioral research focusing on theory building and empirical methodologies. Our changes will be evolutionary not revolutionary and will build on the solid foundations built by Craig, Lisa, Chad, Lutz, and Xiande. In our tenure as the Co-Editors we will be guided by the following: First, JSCM has and will continue to publish rigorous, empirical research on supply chain management topics. And this research must contribute to theory, through testing established theoretical foundations or building theory that is unique to the supply chain management domain. Second, we recognize that valuing rigor cannot be done in a way that inhibits the development of supply chain knowledge and theory. Best methodological practice is always evolving and situationally specific. For instance, rigor typically requires multiple respondents for a survey. But there are going to be exceptional studies where the use of a single respondent is an acceptable tradeoff, perhaps due to the issue at hand or the types of supply chains being studied. Similarly, there will be occasional studies where a sample size of one would be most appropriate. Because we value building supply chain theory so highly, we will not create one size fits all methodological rules for authors. Instead, the onus is on the authors to show that their research design is the best choice for their specific research question and that their research fits within the Journal's mission. Third, we have a responsibility to the wider community, especially early career researchers, to continue providing timely and developmental reviews as part of a fair editorial process. All members of the editorial team, as well as our AEs and ERB members, are aware of the import of the review process to the Journal's authors. Authors will never get a review that rejects a paper back from JSCM without saying why and providing developmental feedback as to what could be improved upon. Nor will we work with reviewers who cannot find ways to provide feedback without being dismissive, sarcastic or nasty. JSCM's acceptance rate is less than 10%, and we expect it to stay there. But the outgoing editorial team was able to maintain very high standards while being developmental, and we will do the same. As part of maintaining a fair review process, we will avoid even the appearance of conflicts of interest and have set up a governance mechanism for the off-chance that we do not honor that commitment. This means that no one with editorial decision making powers will submit research to be peer reviewed to the journal.1 Co-editors and special topic forum editors will be limited to submitting editorials or extended introductions to special topic forums. We have also set up an ombudsman team, comprised of Craig Carter, Lisa Ellram and Morgan Swink. We hope they are never called on in this role, but as editors we recognize that we will make mistakes and that our decisions can affect people's careers. The ombudsmen will provide an outlet if we are failing, in any way, in our role or if someone needs to provide feedback anonymously. Finally, we have structured the work of the co-editors as follows. Mark and Brian will primarily handle day-to-day operations and much of managing the review process. Barb will be also involved in the review process. However her primary role will be to work with the regional editors, Lutz Kaufmann and Xiande Zhao, on outreach and promoting the Journal, working with special topic forum editors, and developing ways to help authors in disseminating their research through a variety of media. If we decide that your paper is good enough to publish in the journal, we want to help ensure that the appropriate researchers and practitioners read it. Once your paper has been accepted, we will work with you to promote it. JSCM, due to the leadership of the outgoing editorial team, has progressed substantially over the last decade. With your help and guided by the values described above, we hope to continue that progression.

About the Authors

About the Authors

Simulation based fuzzy TOPSIS approach for group multi-criteria supplier selection problem

Supplier selection is nowadays one of the critical topics in supply chain management. This paper presents a new decision making approach for group multi-criteria supplier selection problem, which clubs supplier selection process with order allocation for dynamic supply chains to cope market variations. More specifically, the developed approach imitates the knowledge acquisition and manipulation in a manner similar to the decision makers who have gathered considerable knowledge and expertise in procurement domain. Nevertheless, under many conditions, exact data are inadequate to model real-life situation and fuzzy logic can be incorporated to handle the vagueness of the decision makers. As per this concept, fuzzy-AHP method is used first for supplier selection through four classes (CLASS I: Performance strategy, CLASS II: Quality of service, CLASS III: Innovation and CLASS IV: Risk), which are qualitatively meaningful. Thereafter, using simulation based fuzzy TOPSIS technique, the criteria application is quantitatively evaluated for order allocation among the selected suppliers. As a result, the approach generates decision-making knowledge, and thereafter, the developed combination of rules order allocation can easily be interpreted, adopted and at the same time if necessary, modified by decision makers. To demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach, an illustrative example is presented and the results analyzed.

Robustness of Supply Chain Coordination Contracts: Taxonomy, Examples, and Structural Results

Supply chain coordination and associated contracts have been active research topics in supply chain management. Yet, little has been done in addressing the robustness of the design, evaluation, and implementation of such contracts. We develop a consistency framework for supply chain contracts and classify a number of well-studied contracts into groups. We demonstrate with examples that a contract can be evaluated by its consistency properties. Based on precise mathematical definitions and subsequently developed structural properties and management insights, we are not only able to measure the quality of a contract but also to reveal the nature of its coordination. Our findings open an avenue for design, evaluation and implementation of supply chain coordinating contracts.

Special Topic Forum on Using Archival and Secondary Data Sources in Supply Chain Management Research

<i>Special Topic Forum</i> on Using Archival and Secondary Data Sources in Supply Chain Management Research

OPTIMAL POLICY FOR A SIMPLE SUPPLY CHAIN SYSTEM WITH DEFECTIVE ITEMS AND RETURNED COST UNDER SCREENING ERRORS

Recently, one of the most interesting topics in supply chain management (SCM) is the integrated vendor-buyer production-inventory problem, in which the critical issue is to determine economic lot size per shipment and deliveries. Most researches on this issue assume that products are screened and the process is perfect; however, screening errors (including type-I and type-II) may occur with imperfect quality in practice. In this paper we consider a simple single-vendor single-buyer supply chain system in which products are received with defective quality, and 100% screening process is performed with possible inspection errors. The objective of this paper is to determine the optimal number of shipments as well as the size of each shipment in order to minimize the joint annual cost incurred by both vendor and buyer. We develop a cost model for the supply chain system and propose a solution procedure to find the optimal solution. A numerical example is given to illustrate the application of the model. Besides, based on the numerical example, a sensitivity analysis is also made to investigate the effects of five important parameters (the inspection rate, the annual demand, the defective rate, Type I error, and Type II error) on the optimal solution.