Supply Chain Resilience Strategies and their Impact on Sustainability: An Investigation from the Automobile Sector

This study proposes a framework comprising supply chain (SC) resilience strategies to handle low-frequency high impact (LFHI) disruptive events. It also evaluates the impact of SC resilience strategies’ implementation on the triple bottom line of SC sustainability. A hybrid three-phased method is proposed to meet the research objectives of the study. In the first phase, the study employs the Delphi technique to select SC resilience strategies and SC sustainability dimensions. In the second phase, the Best–Worst Method (BWM) is employed to assess the relative weights of resilience strategies. Finally, in the third stage, summative Likert scoring is used to understand the impact of SC resilience strategies on the SC sustainability triple bottom line (3BL).The outcomes reveal that firms give due importance to inter-organizational relationships and supplier nearness for supply continuity. In the sustainability context, the obtained scores proved that resilience strategies have the maximum impact on economic sustainability, followed by environmental sustainability. This is the first study that examines aspects of SC resilience strategies and quantifies their impact on the triple bottom line of SC sustainability. This study is specific to the automobile sector; sectoral diversity may expose similarities and dissimilarities in the approach. The outcome establishes that supplier–manufacturer relationships need to be strengthened further to tackle any future uncertainties. Besides, supplier location decisions may also be revisited. The strategies proposed will aid SC managers to make informed decisions to prepare for uncertain events. In the face of uncertain events, often SC’s trade-off sustainability in pursuit of resilience. It manifests that resilience is a prerequisite for SC sustainability. While planning SCs, organizations often choose either sustainability or resilience. Thus, this study acknowledges the need to develop effective SC resilience strategies that are in harmony with the sustainability agenda

A new era in retail:Private-label production by national-brand manufacturers and premium-quality private labels

Private labels have witnessed considerable growth in grocery retailing. While existing academic studies have provided valuable insights concerning the evolution of private labels, several issues remain largely unexplored. First, in the face of these large private-label volumes, private-label production opportunities arise. Due to increased private-label competition, national-brand manufacturers increasingly pursue a dual-branding strategy and engage in private-label production next to their national-brand activities. In chapter two of this dissertation, a major motivation for national-brand manufacturers to engage in private-label production, namely whether it creates retailer goodwill, is investigated. It shows that private-label production is indeed rewarded: national-brand manufacturers involved in private-label production for a discounter have a higher likelihood of obtaining national-brand shelf presence at that discounter. The third chapter focuses on one of the main reasons why retailers push private labels, i.e. because they generate high margins, and considers how a retailer’s private-label margins vary within categories. It demonstrates that a retailer’s private-label margins depend on the nature of the private-label supplier-retailer relationship, that they differ across quality tiers and package sizes, and that they are affected by a supplier’s extent of national-brand focus next to its private-label production for the retailer. Finally, this dissertation concentrates on the recent premium private-label trend. Even though premium private labels are seen as “one of the hottest trends in retailing,” retailers are selective in picking their battles with top-quality national brands and do not feel the need to extend their standard private label with a premium private label in every category. The fourth chapter provides insight into why retailers offer premium private labels in some categories, but not in others. The research presented in this dissertation is among the first to empirically investigate the phenomenon of private-label production, and to shed light on the recent trend of premium private labels

A new era in retail: Private-label production by national-brand manufacturers and premium-quality private labels.

Private labels have witnessed considerable growth in grocery retailing. While existing academic studies have provided valuable insights concerning the evolution of private labels, several issues remain largely unexplored. First, in the face of these large private-label volumes, private-label production opportunities arise. Due to increased private-label competition, national-brand manufacturers increasingly pursue a dual-branding strategy and engage in private-label production next to their national-brand activities. In chapter two of this dissertation, a major motivation for national-brand manufacturers to engage in private-label production, namely whether it creates retailer goodwill, is investigated. It shows that private-label production is indeed rewarded: national-brand manufacturers involved in private-label production for a discounter have a higher likelihood of obtaining national-brand shelf presence at that discounter. The third chapter focuses on one of the main reasons why retailers push private labels, i.e. because they generate high margins, and considers how a retailer’s private-label margins vary within categories. It demonstrates that a retailer’s private-label margins depend on the nature of the private-label supplier-retailer relationship, that they differ across quality tiers and package sizes, and that they are affected by a supplier’s extent of national-brand focus next to its private-label production for the retailer. Finally, this dissertation concentrates on the recent premium private-label trend. Even though premium private labels are seen as “one of the hottest trends in retailing,” retailers are selective in picking their battles with top-quality national brands and do not feel the need to extend their standard private label with a premium private label in every category. The fourth chapter provides insight into why retailers offer premium private labels in some categories, but not in others. The research presented in this dissertation is among the first to empirically investigate the phenomenon of private-label production, and to shed light on the recent trend of premium private labels.

Understanding task inter-dependence and co-ordination efforts in multi-sourcing: the suppliers' perspective

The last decade has witnessed a significant growth in the outsourcing of information technologies and business processes. Of a particular trend within the outsourcing industry is the shift from the client firm contracting a single supplier to utilizing multiple suppliers, which is also known as multi-sourcing. Multi-sourcing may potentially offer numerous advantages to client firms, however, it might present some challenges to suppliers. In particular, multi-sourcing could create coordination challenges, as there are inter-dependencies between the outsourced tasks to numerous suppliers. While the current outsourcing literature acknowledges the existence of inter-dependencies, little is known about the efforts required for coordinating the work between suppliers and how these coordination efforts are made to manage task inter-dependence. Three case studies at Pactera (case one) and TCS (cases two and three) serve as the empirical base to investigate the inter-dependence between outsourced tasks and suppliers coordination efforts. This research offers theoretical contributions to both coordination studies and the outsourcing body of knowledge

Tietoliikennepalvelujen tarjoaminen suurelle monikansalliselle yritykselle

Large multinational companies are nowadays more and more dependent on the potential that telecommunications gives to improving business processes and communications. Companies have a challenge to produce global telecommunications services to support business activities by using quickly developing and modern technologies and products. From company's point of view managing telecommunications services is a support function that usually does not bring significant value and to company's core business. Therefore, most companies are buying telecommunications services as a service or are outsourcing the existing functions. This aims at improved cost efficiency in telecommunications service sourcing and operational efficiency without committing to large number of internal headcount. At the same time, telecommunications business is going through changes due to technological discontinuities and telecommunications products reaching more mature stage of their life cycle. Market situation changes rapidly when incumbent players are renewing their strategies and expanding their service portfolio. New players are actively seeking for opportunities to enter the markets by searching for competitive advantage through alternative ways of working. lncumbent players are trying to replenish their existing competitive advantage and find new territories, where services can be provided with greater margins compared to existing offerings. This study analyzes the theoretical framework relating to technological discontinuities, theoretical principles surrounding competitive advantage formation and theories involving outsourcing and core business setting. Theoretical background is complemented with empirical analysis of telecommunications market situation and models relating to telecommunications service sourcing in large multinational companies. Based on these findings the study draws conclusions of the overall situation and makes concrete recommendations how the operator can gain competitive advantage and improve its position in competition of global multinational company customers.Monikansalliset suuryritykset ovat nykyään yhä riippuvaisempia tietoliikenteen tarjoamista mahdollisuuksista liiketoimintaprosessien tehostamisessa ja viestinnän parantamisessa. Yritysten haasteena on tuottaa liiketoimintansa tueksi tietoliikennepalveluja maailmanlaajuisesti käyttäen nopeasti kehittyviä moderneja teknologioita ja tuotteita. Yrityksen näkökulmasta tietoliikennepalvelujen tuottaminen on tukifunktio, joka tavallisesti ei tuota merkittävää lisäarvoa yrityksen ydinliiketoiminnalle. Näin ollen useat yritykset turvautuvat tietoliikennepalvelujen ostamiseen palveluna tai olemassa olevien toimintojen ulkoistamiseen. Tällä tavoitellaan tietoliikennepalvelujen hankinnan kustannustehokkuutta ja haetaan toiminnallista tehokkuutta sitoutumatta mittavaan määrään yrityksen sisäistä työvoimaa. Samaan aikaan tietoliikenneliiketoiminta muuttuu nopeasti teknologisten epäjatkuvuuksien mukanaan tuomien muutosten kautta ja vanhojen tietoliikennetuotteiden elinkaaren saavuttaessa kypsyysvaiheen muuttaen kilpailuasetelmaa. Markkinatilanne muuttuu nopeasti olemassa olevien toimijoiden uusiessa strategioitaan ja laajentaessa palveluvalikoimaansa. Samalla uudet toimijat pyrkivät aktiivisesti pääsemään osallisiksi markkinoista hakemalla kilpailuetua vaihtoehtoisten toimintamallien kautta. Olemassa olevat toimijat pyrkivät omalta osaltaan vahvistamaan vallitsevia kilpailuetuja ja löytämään uusia alueita, joilla tarjottavista palveluista saatava tuotto olisi nykyisiä tuotteita parempaa. Tutkimus analysoi teknologisista epäjatkuvuuksiin liittyvää teoreettista viitekehitystä, kilpailuedun muodostumiseen liittyviä teoreettisia periaatteita ja ulkoistamiseen ja yrityksen ydin liiketoimintaan vaikuttavia teorioita. Teoreettista taustaa täydennetään empiirisellä analyysillä vallitsevasta markkinatilanteesta tietoliikennepalvelujen tarjonnan alueella ja suuryritysten tietoliikennepalvelujen hankintaan liittyvillä yleisillä toimintamalleilla. Näiden perusteella tehdään johtopäätökset kokonaistilanteesta ja suositukset, joiden avulla tietoliikenneoperaattori voi luoda kilpailuetua ja parantaa omaa asemaansa kilpailussa monikansalliselle suuryritykselle tarjottavista palveluista

Pandemic impact on supply chains: strategies to minimize supply chain disruption

Working Paper del Departament d’Organització d’Empreses de la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.Covid-19 pandemic has challenged all the areas of living of people in the last year, supply chains were not excluded by it. Restriction measures, global health concerns and drastic-unreasonable demand changes were the main issues supply chains had and still have to face in the most globalized world ever seen. The aim of this work is to understand how the pandemic impacted in the supply chains, the first reactions of companies to minimize the disruption of the production, logistic and supply shock and finally the measures to be taken in order to prevent future problems. The question of this study is, in fact: how did supply chains react to pandemic and what can they do to be more resilient? To answer this question, in the first section we show the chronological development of the pandemic, starting from China’s outbreak and its expansion to the rest of the world, keeping in mind the economical context in which the event takes place. In the second section we first review literature on natural disasters, since it are the most similar events to a pandemic in terms of their effects. Moreover, in the third section we depict the suggestions to move to a more resilient management of the supply chain and the possible measures to be taken by supply chain managers. The focus will be on the improvements and weaknesses of current supply chain management techniques, such as Just-In-Time methodology, in-shoring possibilities and demand management. At this study publishing, supply chains are still struggling with uncertainty associated with the pandemic situation and need to change some of their features and strengthen others to prevent future disruptions. Future researches could take advantage of more specific and updated information on this topic.Preprin

Supply Chains and Porous Boundaries: The Disaggregation of Legal Services

The economic downturn has had significant effects on law firms, and is causing many of them to rethink some basic assumptions about how they operate. In important respects, however, the downturn has simply intensified the effects of some deeper trends that preceded it, which are likely to continue after any recovery that may occur. This paper explores one of these trends, which is corporate client insistence that law firms “disaggregate” their services into discrete tasks that can be delegated to the least costly providers who can perform them. With advances in communications technology, there is increasing likelihood that some of these persons may be located outside the formal boundaries of the firm. This means that law firms may need increasingly to confront the make or buy decision that their corporate clients have regularly confronted for some time. The potential for vertical disintegration is a relatively recent development for legal services, but is well-established in other sectors of the global economy. Empirical work in several disciplines has identified a number of issues that arise for organizations as the make or buy decision becomes a potentially more salient feature of their operations. Much of this work has focused in particular on the implications of relying on outsourcing as an integral part of the production process. This paper discusses research on: (1) the challenges of ensuring that work performed outside the firm is fully integrated into the production process; (2) coordinating projects for which networks of organizations are responsible; (3) managing the transfer of knowledge inside and outside of firms that are participants in a supply chain; and (4) addressing the impact of using contingent workers on an organization’s workforce, structure, and culture. A review of this research suggests considerations that law firms will need to assess if they begin significantly to extend the process of providing services beyond their formal boundaries. Discussing the research also is intended to introduce concepts that may become increasingly relevant to law firms, but which currently are not commonly used to analyze their operations. Considering how these concepts are applicable to law firms may prompt us to rethink how to conceptualize these firms and what they do. This paper therefore is a preliminary attempt to explore: (1) the extent to which law firms may come to resemble the vertically disintegrated organizations that populate many other economic sectors and (2) the potential implications of this trend for the provision of legal services,the trajectory of legal careers, and lawyers’ sense of themselves as members of a distinct profession

Quality management and supplier development

Central to the concept of T.Q.M. is the nature of the relationships which organisations develop with their suppliers. As organisations improve their own internal efficiency there becomes a need to look externally to their suppliers in order to seek competitive advantage. Previous work on supplier development has focused mainly on the automotive industry. This research is based primarily on the quality management systems and supplier relationships which have been developed at J.Barbour and Sons Ltd, an international clothing company whose name is synonymous with Quality. The research indicates that the organisational structure and culture of companies within the U.K. does not readily support all the principles of T.Q.M. More evidence needs to be sought regarding the benefits to the organisation. Characteristics associated with various types of supplier relationships are defined i.e traditional and partnership. Dependent upon the type of product supplied and by whom, organisations may wish to develop their suppliers to a greater or lesser degree. As a result of the research, recommendations are then given for organisations implementing T.Q.M. or Supplier Development programmes in order to improve the quality of their goods or services