A Conceptual Model for Explaining Supply Chain Performance in Uganda’s SMEs

This study proposes a conceptual framework, which will be used to conduct an empirical study of supply chain performance in SMEs in Uganda. This conceptual framework was developed from the review of the previous literature. The need for this study arises from the fact that where as SMEs form the back borne of Uganda’s economy, they have encountered poor supply chain performance. Previous researchers also indicate that studies in SMEs and their supply chains are limited and that more research is needed regarding the link between marketing and supply chain management. The proposed conceptual framework presupposes a positive relationship between market orientation and supply chain performance with organizational learning, supply chain management strategy, trust and commitment playing mediating roles. It is hoped that this proposed integrative conceptual model will also be used in other future empirical studies

Entrepreneurial Orientation and Firm Performance: Evidence from Small and Micro-Enterprises in Kenya

Entrepreneurial orientation is a significant determinant of firm performance. The multifaceted nature of EO prompted a need for a more insightful study to bring to fore the extent of effect it has on performance. Nonetheless, past research has shown that simply examining the effect of Entrepreneurial Orientation on firm performance provides an incomplete picture. To stimulate the relationship between Entrepreneurial Orientation and firm performance, there is need to control internal and external contingent factors. Using data from 333 Small and Micro-enterprises (SMEs) in Uasin-Gishu County in Kenya, the study showed that innovativeness (β1= 0.632, p value = 0.000) and pro-activeness (β2= 0.246, p value = 0.000) have positive effects on firm performance; however, risk-taking  negatively  effects  firm performance (β3= -0.163, p value = 0.002). The study makes significant contributions to the understanding of the relationship between Entrepreneurial Orientation and performance of SMEs. This knowledge is invaluable to both SME owners and policy makers in designing and shaping firm and industry-level strategies that are appropriate for positive outcomes of entrepreneurship. Keywords: Entrepreneurial orientation, Innovativeness, Pro-activeness, Risk-taking, Firm Performanc

The mediating effect of supply chain integration on the relationship between information technology, trust and firm performance: a conceptual framework

Supply chain Management has played a significant role in corporate efficiency and has attracted the attention of numerous academicians over the last few years. As the concept of becomes more widely accepted, supply chain integration (SCI) is gaining more attention among both practitioners and academics. The paper aims at understanding how SCI and its antecedents, impacts firm performance. For the literature review of the related academic articles for the previous studies has been taken by international journals in Logistics, Supply Chain Management and Operations Management. The study looked at some variables such as trust and information technology (IT) that might impact the SCI and finally improve firm performance. Therefore, it is crucial for managers to apply their firms IT and trust as lower-order organizational capabilities to improve SCI as a higher-order organizational capability. To aid the study, Resourced-Based View (RBV) theory has been developed as the framework for the present research. The paper also proposes the framework for future research in empirical investigation in manufacturing. This study bridges the gap by developing a framework for measuring SCI, which enables any organization to identify critical success factors for integrating their SC, measures the degree of integration qualitatively and quantitatively and suggest improvement measures

Applying the Theory of Constraints to Explore the UK Renewable-Energy Supply Chain

As a result of the emerging energy crisis and the requirement for countries to utilize more energy derived from renewable sources, demand for renewable energy technologies is likely to rise. Therefore, it is critical that production of such technologies is ramped up in order to meet this demand. However, evidence suggests that engineering and manufacturing companies in the UK are not entering the renewables market at the desired rate and, hence, renewable supply chains currently lack the ability to respond to increased demand due to the lack of businesses willing to move into supplying the renewables sector. Through a three phased research approach, this paper will identify the barriers and risks that are suggested as reasons why companies do not invest and operate within the renewables sector. Through further analysis obtained from the survey work and focus groups, the paper goes on to identify and categorize these barriers and risks in the form of ‘system constraints’ which are then used to construct a current reality tree (CRT) that connects the constraints into a comprehensive characterization map of the sector which suggests why companies fail to enter the renewables supply chain market. The CRT identifies the complex arrangement of issues which act as risks and barriers. These issues include; poor supply chain readiness leading to a company’s inability to respond quickly and correctly to opportunities, a lack of suitable policies and government investment in the renewables infrastructure (which leads to a lack of opportunities for supply-chain companies) and a lack of knowledge of the sector by companies, meaning that supply-chain companies are resistant to investing in the sector for fear of poor return on investment. This work provides key insights into the UK manufacturing supply chain and its attitudes to entering the renewables sector. Furthermore, the paper also applies and evaluates the use of the CRT technique and ascertains its suitability to effectively characterize sector issues and its current problems

Critical Factors for Constructing an Effective Supply Chain Network

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a source of value creation for stakeholders. There are many influential factors for constructing a partnership in supply chain network. The factors demonstrate different contributions in each phase of supply chain. The purpose of this study is to establish a theoretical framework for constructing an effective supply chain network. A literature review of supply chain studies was employed to identify the influential factors in the process of supply chain development and establish the critical phases for creating effective supply chain network. The framework can be served as a guideline for both academic research and practical applications of SCM

The relationships between supplier and customer involvements towards broiler business performance: An empirical investigation on Malaysian poultry industry

Agriculture is one of the key sectors for international trade that supply foods to the world population.The major contribution of broiler consumption in improving percapita nutrients level is well documented.In the meantime, the importance of supplier and customer involvement within supply chain operations are also well acknowledged. Nonetheless,empirical evidence linking broiler business performance and the aforementioned involvements remains elusive.Hence, this study proposes an investigation over potential relationships between supplier and customer involvements towards broiler business performance. The potential moderating effect of managerial skill levels on the above mentioned relationships is also proposed.A research framework and six hypotheses are then forwarded to further gauge the issues.Plugging the information gap in Malaysian poultry industry and examining the inclusion of customer involvement and managerial skill levels into the model are the focal contribution of this study.Upon completion, the study is expected to be beneficial to relevant authorities, practitioners and interested parties alike

DESIGN OF DISTRIBUTION NETWORK: ANALYSIS OF DROP-SHIPPING PROCESS IN A CASE COMPANY

Nowadays supply chain performance brings a major value for a business in order to sustain competitively in the market. However, distribution network design is presented as a significant factor in a supply chain design, because of its direct influence on supply chain performance. The distribution represents the actual flow of goods and services from production to the end customer and it is measured by quality, responsiveness, and availability of the goods. Therefore, this research is focused on the examination of distribution network design, particularly its role and importance. The study is limited to specific model: drop-shipping scenario. Case company is selected in order define drop-shipping design for, especially urgent and heavy deliveries. Drop-shipping process performance analysis is based on data collected by interviews in various departments. The approach aims to identify the current performance of the process, potential weaknesses and propose development suggestions for future continuous improvement. Major results of the thesis present five key investigated areas where problematic issues have been grounded in a case company drop-shipping model: communication, resources, technical side, organisation and complexity of the process. Improvement recommendations are provided accordingly in order to optimise the process in the future.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

STRATEGI RANTAI PASOK DALAM MENINGKATKAN KINERJA PEMASARAN PADA PERUSAHAAN LOGISTIK DI JAKARTA

ABSTRAK Perusahaan distribusi logistik saat ini berada dalam persaingan yang ketat sehingga kinerja pemasaran perlu ditingkatkan. Tujuan yang ingin dicapai dalam penelitian ini adalah untuk menyajikan model strategi rantai pasok sebagai mediasi hubungan saling keterkaitan antara lingkungan pemasok dan orientasi pasar terhadap kinerja pemasaran yang dimoderasi oleh ketidakpastian lingkungan. Penelitian ini merupakan sintesis yang dibentuk secara integratif berdasarkan berbagai literatur penelitian terdahulu. Penelitian ini menggunakan perusahaan distribusi logistik sebagai unit analisis dengan sampel sebanyak 160 perusahaan distribusi di Jakarta. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian verifikatif dengan eksplanasi survey. Analisis data menggunakan Structural Equation Model (SEM) dengan pendekatan Partial Least Square (PLS) melalui software SmartPLS. Temuan penelitian adalah lingkungan pemasok, orientasi pasar, strategi rantai pasok, dan kinerja pemasaran cenderung cukup tinggi namun belum ideal. Model strategi rantai pasok dapat memediasi hubungan lingkungan pemasok dan orientasi pasar terhadap kinerja pemasaran yang dimoderasi oleh ketidakpastian lingkungan. Hasil penelitian ini juga menunjukkan bahwa lingkungan pemasok berpengaruh positif terhadap strategi rantai pasok perusahaan distribusi logistik. Orientasi pasar berpengaruh positif terhadap strategi rantai pasok perusahaan. Lingkungan pemasok berpengaruh positif terhadap kinerja pemasaran. Orientasi pasar berpengaruh positif terhadap kinerja pemasaran. Strategi rantai pasok berpengaruh positif terhadap kinerja pemasaran. Ketidakpastian lingkungan memoderasi hubungan lingkungan pemasok dengan strategi rantai pasok maupun kinerja pemasaran dalam kondisi yang tidak dapat diprediksi. Ketidakpastian lingkungan memoderasi hubungan orientasi pasar terhadap strategi rantai pasok maupun kinerja pemasaran dalam kondisi yang dapat diprediksi. Pada model penelitian ini, strategi rantai pasok terbukti dapat menjadi variabel mediasi atau intervening dari lingkungan pemasok dan orientasi pasar dalam mempengaruhi kinerja pemasaran. Kata kunci: kinerja Pemasaran, lingkungan pemasok, orientasi pasar, strategi rantai pasok, ketidakpastian lingkungan ABSTRACT Currently, logistics distribution companies are in tight competition, so marketing performance needs to be improved. This research is to present a supply chain strategy model as a mediation of the interrelationships between the supplier environment and market orientation towards marketing performance moderated by environmental uncertainty. This research is an integrated synthesis based on various previous research literatures. This study uses a logistics distribution company with a sample of 160 distribution companies in Jakarta. This research is verification research with the explanatory survey. Data analysis using Structural Equation Model (SEM) with Partial Least Square (PLS) approach through SmartPLS software. This study found that supplier environment, market orientation, supply chain strategy, and marketing performance are adequate yet not ideal. The supply chain strategy model can mediate the relationship of supplier environment and market orientation to marketing performance moderated by environmental uncertainty. The results of this study also show that the supplier environment has a positive effect on the supply chain strategy of logistics distribution companies. Market orientation has a positive effect on the company's supply chain strategy. The supplier environment has a positive effect on marketing performance. Market orientation positively affects marketing performance. Supply chain strategy positively affects marketing performance. Environmental uncertainty moderates the supplier's environmental relationship with supply chain strategy and marketing performance under unpredictable conditions. Environmental uncertainty moderates the relationship between market orientation, supply chain strategy, and marketing performance under predictable conditions. In this research model, supply chain strategy is proven to be a mediating variable from the supplier environment and market orientation in influencing marketing performance. Keywords: marketing performance, supplier environment, market orientation, supply chain strategy, environmental uncertaint

Supply chain risk management research agenda: From a literature review to a call for future research directions

Purpose: Supply chain risk has increasingly attracted academic and corporate interest, however the supply chain risk debate in academic literature are rather limited to case and location specific studies. Hence, this paper utilised a systematic literature review to explore the supply chain risk research trends and gaps within the management literature. Design/methodology/approach: To achieve the research objective a systematic literature review (SLR), looking into 25 years since 1990, into supply chain risk management was conducted, which resulted in 114 papers. Findings: While the supply chain risk management literature is growing, results from the systematic literature review identified limited organized understanding of what constitutes holistic supply chain risk process, and high reliance of particular categories for supply chain risk, such as the high reliance on specific country settings (the USA and the UK); limited presence of cross competitive supply chain risk process analysis and challenges in developing conceptual supply chain risk frameworks. Research limitations/implications: The supply chain risk embeds categories of location, scope of supply chain, risk management tools and industry sectors involved, The search for related publications was mainly used from a wide range of coverage from accountancy to design in supply chain risk, hence although there is indication to specific industries, and foci of risk, this could be further explored. Practical implications: This review of supply chain risk management identifies various research gaps and directions for future research to develop theory and practical understanding of supply chain risk. Originality/value: Current literature on supply chain risk have been assessed based on its definition and utilisation. The current paper bridges this gap by synthesizing the diverse academic journal papers into the categories based on design continiuum, relationship continiuum, process continiuum and economic continiuum. In addition it highlighted the gaps in industry context, theoretical contribution, geographic location, and research methods applied and addresses the scope for further research