A REPRISE OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN CONSANGUINITY TO THE INDUSTRY OF TEXTILE

This study investigates supply chain management (SCM) literature to categorize it as well as this study particularly explores studies of SCM for textile industry. An analysis is provided for SCM in connection to textile industry. Science Direct, ABI/INFORM Global, EBSCO Host, and Emerald scholarly databases are inspected for SCM studies. It is found that there is lack of agreement for a sole definition of SCM; moreover, textile industry is being neglected for investigation of SCM. However, categories of SCM are described in a descending order from most studied categories to least studied categories. There is a void of a sole definition for SCM; therefore, a comprehensive definition of SCM is suggested from pertinent literature. Moreover, research gaps are identified for future research of SCM particularly for textile industry.supply chain management, textile industry, categories of SCM

The influence of customer integration, integrated information technology, and relationship commitment on performance: a mediating and moderating analysis in supply chain management context

Esta investigación amplía el creciente cuerpo de la literatura sobre la integración de la cadena de suministro. A partir de diferentes teorías, desarrollamos hipótesis que proponen relaciones positivas entre la tecnología de información integrada, la integración de clientes, el compromiso relacional y el rendimiento financiero. Además, investigamos los roles complementarios del tamaño del departamento de TI y el apoyo de la alta dirección. Los resultados a partir de una muestra de 205 empresas de Egipto indican que la tecnología de información integrada y la integración de clientes pueden mejorar el rendimiento financiero. Adicionalmente, los resultados muestran un efecto mediador positivo de la integración de clientes en la relación entre tecnología de información integrada y el rendimiento financiero. Además, se confirma que el tamaño del departamento de TI y el apoyo de la alta dirección están relacionados significativamente con la tecnología de información integrada. Finalmente, nuestros resultados también muestran un efecto positivo directo del compromiso relacional en la integración de clientes, así como un efecto moderador positivo del compromiso relacional en la relación entre la tecnología de información integrada y la integración de clientes.This research extends the developing body of literature on supply chain integration. Theorizing from the supply chain integration literatures, we develop hypotheses proposing direct, mediating, and moderating relations between integrated information technology, customer integration, relationship commitment, and financial performance. Also, we investigate the complementary roles of IT department size and top management support. Our findings from a sample of 205 firms in Egypt indicate that integrated information technology and customer integration can improve financial performance. In addition, our results show a mediating and positive effect of customer integration on the relation between integrated information technology and financial performance. Also, information technology department size and top management support are significantly related to integrated information technology. Finally, our results also show a direct and positive effect of relationship commitment on the customer integration, and a moderating and positive effect of relationship commitment on the relationship between integrated information technology and customer integration

Supply Chain Practice, Supply Chain Performance Indicators and Competitive Advantage of Australian Beef Enterprises: A Conceptual Framework

This research focuses on an Australian agribusiness supply chain, the Australian Beef Supply Chain. The definition of the Australian Beef Supply Chain is the chain or sequence of all activities from the breeding property to the domestic or overseas consumers. The beef sector in Australia is undergoing rapid change because of globalisation, a highly competitive beef market (local and export), quicker production cycle and delivery times and consequently reduced inventories, a general speed-up of the rate of change in the business environment, the trend toward more outsourcing of activities, and the rapid development of IT. In this business environment, advanced supply chain systems have the potential to provide significant contributions to Australian beef industry performance. A conceptual framework of the research project has been proposed. There are three elements of conceptual framework. Firstly, supply chain practice of Australian beef industry consists of five sub-elements such as strategic supplier partnerships, customer relationships, information sharing, information quality and a lean system. Moreover, there is an antecedent of cooperative behaviour such as trust and commitment influencing supply chain practice and supply chain performance indicators. Secondly, supply chain performance indicators include four sub-elements such as flexibility, efficiency, food quality and responsiveness. Finally, the competitive advantage framework of the Australian beef enterprises consists of price, quality, export sales growth and time to market. As a further step of the research after developing the conceptual framework, the research project focuses the analysis on how the antecedents of the sub-elements of supply chain practice affect supply chain performance in Australian beef enterprises, how trust and commitment in trading partners affect supply chain performance, how attributes such as flexibility, efficiency, food quality and responsiveness influence the sub-elements of competitive advantage. The research project leads on to further work on how Australian beef enterprises measure their supply chain performance and what the major difficulties are arising when implementing supply chain management in the Australian beef industry and what kind of changes can be made to beef supply chains to enhance their performance.Agribusiness,

Study of internet usage in the fresh produce supply chain in the UK and China

A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy of the University of BedfordshireFresh produce supply chain management faces a high level of complexity and uncertainty and a number of challenges due to fresh produce's perishable, seasonal and fragile characteristics. It is argued that effective implementation of Information and Communication Technologies (leTs) has great potential for improving efficiency and reducing wastage within the fresh produce (fruit and vegetable) supply chain. While' the Internet is used by many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the fresh produce industry, the extent to which it is applied and further developed after the initial adoption varies widely. Much research has been carried out to investigate Internet adoption and usage, but very limited effort has been focused on the identification of the current level of technology integration and deve!opment and the factors affecting the level of the development after the adoption, especially in the context of SMEs in the fresh produce supply chain. This research attempts to address this issue by developing a theoretical framework to illustrate the evolutionary process of Internet adoption and diffusion and to identify factors affecting the development of Internet-based supply chains by following the Technological/Organisational/Environmental (TOE) framevork. First, five development levels of post-adoption of Internet technologies in the supply chain were defined, and factors from the technological, organisational and environmentalcontexts were identified according to literatures and exploratory interviews. Second, questionnaire surveys were conducted in the UK and China to investigate the current situation of internet technologies used by SMEs in the fresh produce supply chains in the two countries. Finally, factors the proposed framework were validated and discussed. The empirical findings show that the Internet is no longer a new technology for most fresh produce SMEs in the UK and China. However, a large proportion of SMEs surveyed are still using basic functions of the Internet, and there is little difference between the UK and Chinese SMEs when comparing the use of complex applications in the supply chains. The results also show that most of the factors in the organisational and technological contexts are positively related to the current development levels of the Internet-based supply chain, whereas, in the environmental context, pressures from customers in the UK and mutual trust among partners in China have a significant impact on current development levels. Additionally, in both countries, companies in a better development level of Internet-based supply chain would achieve a higher degree of integration in their supply chain in five years. Overall, the research has made a number of important contributions to knowledge, current debate and practice in an under-researched sector. The five-level post-adoption framework can be adapted to identify ICT development levels and key factors in other sectors. The empirical data collected has added value to and sheds lights on the current applications of the Internet in the supply chain in general, and in the fresh produce SMEs in China and the UK in particular. The key factors identified as impeding the further development of the Internet, such as factors related to the business environments in the UK and China, will help government policy-makers, supply chain facilitators and IT service providers to be more focused in their efforts to improve the situation and to stimulate the further diffusion of emerging Internet technologies. The research has certain limitations due to the time constraints and sample selections. These limitations provide a platform for directing future research

Transparency dilemmas, information technology and alliances in agriculture and food industry

alliance, agriculture, food industry

A Model for Structuring Efficient Consumer Response Measures

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose a model which structures and links different types of efficient consumer response (ECR) measures; it does so by considering the use of both quantitative or ‘hard’ and qualitative or ‘soft’ measures in ECR, emphasizing the importance and causal role of ‘soft’ measures throughout the ECR process. Methodology/Approach: This paper reviews the ECR and performance measurement literature and proposes a model that explains linkages from intra-organizational, inter-organizational and industry prerequisites through ECR activities to ECR outcomes; and highlights the role of performance, behavioural, attitude and capability measures. Two extant studies from Austria and Denmark are examined in the context of the model to exemplify some of its features. Research limitations/implications: The proposed model is presented for primarily future investigation; thus there is no empirical study in this paper other than a comparison of the two extant studies to support some constructs and variables. However, the model represents a structure that can guide future research on more specific ECR elements. Practical implications: The model makes a practical contribution by providing a structure from which measurement or scorecard systems can be established. Originality/value of the paper: The model makes a theoretical contribution by providing an overall structure to link different areas of ECR research such as barriers for ECR implementation, and specific ECR concepts, activities, and their outcomes

Effects of Supply Chain Management for Food and Grocery Companies

Mass merchandisers’ entry into food retailing threatens traditional grocers’ market share. In response, traditional grocers and food manufacturers adopted Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) as an industry-wide set of supply chain management strategies that focused on cutting costs and improving product assortment, thereby improving inventory and financial performance levels. However, research findings and trade press reports question whether adopting supply chain management strategies will achieve these goals. The results of this analysis strongly support the proposition that the adoption of an ECR strategy pays off. However, the growth in profit does not appear to come from improved performance for traditional inventory measures. The driving force behind these improved financial measures can be attributed to the cash conversion cycle. Thus, the time spent in developing close relationships with buyers or suppliers and the investments in information technology have been justified. Size matters; ECR is more effective due to economies of scale and information technology. However, this may lead to more consolidations because all firms may not have sufficient capital to invest in ECR initiatives. In short, to remain competitive ECR strategies should strongly be considered by firms that are lagging in implementation.Efficient Consumer Response, supply chain management, inventory, cash conversion cycles, financial performance, grocery, food manufacturing, Financial Economics, Industrial Organization,

Ambidexterity: The Interplay of Supply Chain Management Competencies and Enterprise Resource Planning Systems on Organizational Performance

Understanding the business value of information systems (IS) is one of the key issues among practitioners. Specifically, the role of IS in supply chain management (SCM) is one of the main areas that practitioners focus, as the largest portion of production costs are traceable back to supply chain costs. Hence, inter-organizational systems (IOS) gain importance as a result of the increased competition between supply chain networks. Particularly, implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP), which is a type of IOS, becomes the new trend among organizations. Although organizations use similar ERP, some gained significant benefits by using them, while others struggled to achieve the same level of success. The performance differences among ERP using organizations illustrate that ERP accrues several indirect benefits to organizational performance via intermediating organizational capabilities. SCM explorative and exploitative competencies are two such capabilities. Although, previous research indicates that ERP needs to be supported by mature SCM processes to maximize the benefits of ERP, there is still a lack of knowledge of how ERP is used to improve SCM competencies and increase performance. Thus, the goal of this study is to evaluate the indirect benefits that accrue to organizations via the mediating effect of SCM competencies on the relationship between effective ERP usage for SCM and organizational performance. Customer relationship management (CRM), customer service management (CSM), supplier relationship management (SRM) are adopted as the three key ERP based SCM processes, and profitability, market value, and productivity are utilized as the three main aspects of overall organizational performance. PLS-SEM is used to investigate this relationship. Overall, this dissertation demonstrates that effective ERP usage for SCM improves SCM competencies, which leads to higher organizational performance. Specifically, the results suggest that although effective ERP usage for CRM is related to both SCM explorative and exploitative competence, effective ERP usage for CSM experience better SCM explorative competence, and effective ERP usage achieves better SCM exploitative competence. The results also indicate that, while SCM exploitative competence influences all three aspects of organizational performance, SCM explorative competence affects only the market value and organizations that manage to balance SCM explorative and exploitative competence efforts outperform their competitors