Building Stronger Channel Relationships Through Information Sharing

Does sharing market information help channel partners to buildstronger mutual relationships? Is low initial trust really animpediment for further relationship development by means ofinformation sharing? How do connections with other competingchannel partners affect the relationship building process? Toaddress these questions, we conducted an experimental study.Our findings show that retailer information sharing helps todevelop higher quality supplier relationships. Interestingly,even if the initial level of trust in the retailer is low, therelationship quality substantially improves. In a morecompetitive situation the suppliers respond more favorably tothe retailer?s information-sharing initiative.experimental design;information-sharing;interfirm collaboration;marketing channels

The changing market for distribution: implications for Exel Logistics

This paper has been written to compliment a previous Working Paper (The Evolution of a Distribution Brand: The Case of Exel Logistics) and to some extent allows that company’s development (1989- 1993) to be placed in the context of marketplace and industry changes. I wish to examine three of the main trends affecting the distribution industry over the same period. Firstly, the move towards the centralisation of operations by both manufacturers and retailers, secondly at the debate surrounding contracting-out and in-house distribution activities and finally, the issues under consideration must be seen in a wider context - that of distribution and the Single European Market (SEM), which could be said to be the most important development facing the distribution industry for many years. These trends will be discussed in some detail and, where appropriate, from Exel Logistics’ perspective in order to consider how far the company has gone both in dealing with marketplace changes and in achieving its aims.School of Managemen

Understanding collaborative supply chain relationships through the application of the Williamson organisational failure framework

Many researchers have studied supply chain relationships however, the preponderance of open markets situations and ‘industry-style’ surveys have reduced the empirical focus on the dynamics of long-term, collaborative dyadic relationships. Within the supply chain the need for much closer, long-term relationships is increasing due to supplier rationalisation and globalisation (Spekman et al, 1998) and more information about these interactions is required. The research specifically tested the well-accepted Williamson’s (1975) Economic Organisations Failure Framework as a theoretical model through which long term collaborative relationships can be

From Supply Chains to Total Product Systems

The evolution of supply chain management and practice has had an integral and expanding role in contemporary global economic and socio-political change over the past 25 years or so. Thi srole is moving closer to centre stage with the emergence of business models equating to 'total product systems'. The impacts of advanced supply chain practice include driving fundamental changes in approach to product design, the concept of 'product', production methods, distribution, marketing, aftermarket support and end-of-life (EOL) reprocessing. Viewed in their full context, methods in supply chain management (SCM) have major influences on societal functioning and on economic development at global, national and local levels. Even the supply chains for simple products can involve several different industries and link many companies, large and small. Those for complex products may span several technological domains and economic sectors, linking hundreds or sometimes thousands of companies

Competitiveness of Indian Manufacturing: Finding of the 2001 National Manufacturing Survey

In this paper we present findings of the second national survey on the competitiveness of Indian manufacturing. The paper develops hypotheses on the competitiveness of firms in the manufacturing sector and addresses some key questions on the characteristics of world class firms in India. We analyze the processes and practices that such firms have adopted to become world class. More important, we highlight firm level practices that are preventing Indian firms from becoming globally competitive. The findings point towards three distinct aspects of manufacturing management that define the capabilities of the firm, i.e., strategies related to dynamic control of shop floors, network linkages and innovation. It is found that firms that build distinctive technological and managerial capabilities in these domains are able to compete globally. The paper provides a comparison with manufacturing capabilities of competitors in China and draws lessons for organizing large scale manufacturing. It also provides an assessment of the changes that have happened in manufacturing priorities and strategies in India since our last survey that was conducted in 1997 and highlights the implications of these changes.

Managerial Views of Supply Chain Collaboration: An Empirical Study

  This paper is carried out to empirically examine managerial perceptions on the relationship between supply chain collaboration practice and operational performance. The framework suggests that collaborative practice is characterised by three distinct factors: (1) decision synchronisation, (2) information sharing, and (3) incentive alignment, which enable the chain members to effectively match supply with customer demand. An important question is whether or not collaborative practice leads to better operational performance. A survey research was employed to assess the relationship between collaborative practice and operational performance of New Zealand companies. The survey results show significant positive impacts of key factors of collaborative practice on operational performance. The findings suggest that information sharing, decision synchronisation, and incentive alignment are important determinants of operational performance. This study demonstrates that the chain members need to understand the role of different key factors of collaborative practice that can be redesigned to leverage operational performance

Drivers of Retail Supply Chain Efficiency: Moderating Effect of Lean Strategy

The retail chain store business is an infant stage of growth and development in Bangladesh and so are the supply chain management practices in this sector. The main objective of this study is to identify the key drivers of retail supply chain efficiency. Moreover this study aims at examining the moderating effect of lean supply chain strategy on the link between supply chain drivers and performance. For the purpose of the study, data were collected with a structured questionnaire from 115 participants consisting of outlet and supply chain managers of some selected retail chain stores in Bangladesh. Collected data were analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling with the support of the software Smart PLS 2.0 M3. Findings revealed that out of five supply chain drivers, four namely inventory management, use of IT, transportation management and coordination were the most significant determinants of retail supply chain efficiency while suppliers role was found to be negatively correlated. Moderating effect of lean strategy was also noticed on the link between two drivers namely transportation management and coordination with retail supply chain efficiency

Dynamics of Buyer-Supplier Co-dependency for Optimizing Functional Efficiency

The performance related issues of buyer-supplier relationship have attracted both the academic and corporate managers. The study attempts to make theoretical contributions to the literature on relationships in marketing channels. Compared with the impact of the often-investigated construct of dependence structure, the impact of channel function performance on relationship quality is relatively large. This study has been conducted in reference to the suppliers of office equipments serving to the industrial accounts in Mexico. The study addresses broadly the issues as to what extent is the impact of quality performance responsible for doing business with the organizational buyers. Discussions also analyze the impact of channel function performance on relationship quality, which is moderated by the extent dependence structure of the relationship.Buyer behavior, supplier performance, co-dependency, supply design, profit optimization, buyer value, market coverage, conformance, supply quality