A Representation of Tactical and Strategic Precursors of Supply Network Resilience Using Simulation Based Experiments

Modern supply chains are becoming increasingly complex and are exposed to higher levels of risk. Globalization, market uncertainty, mass customization, technological and innovation forces, among other factors, make supply networks more susceptible to disruptions (both those that are man-made and/or ones associated with natural events) that leave suppliers unavailable, shut-down facilities and entail lost capacity. Whereas several models for disruption management exist, there is a need for operational representations of concepts such as resilience that expand the practitioners’ understanding of the behavior of their supply chains. These representations must include not only specific characteristics of the firm’s supply network but also its tactical and strategic decisions (such as sourcing and product design). Furthermore, the representations should capture the impact those characteristics have on the performance of the network facing disruptions, thus providing operations managers with insights on what tactical and strategic decisions are most suitable for their specific supply networks (and product types) in the event of a disruption. This research uses Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation (ABMS) and an experimental set-up to develop a representation of the relationships between tactical and strategic decisions and their impact on the performance of multi-echelon networks under supply uncertainty. Two main questions are answered: 1) How do different tactical and strategic decisions give rise to resilience in a multi-echelon system?, and 2) What is the nature of the interactions between those factors, the network’s structure and its performance in the event of a disruption? Product design was found to have the most significant impact on the reliability (Perfect Order Fulfillment) for products with high degrees of componentization when dual sourcing is the chosen strategy. However, when it comes to network responsiveness (Order Fulfillment Cycle Time), this effect was attenuated. Generally, it was found that the expected individual impact these factors have on the network performance is affected by the interactions between them

Analysing Supply Chain Resilience: Integrating the Constructs in a Concept Mapping Framework Via a Systematic Literature Review

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the concept of supply chain resilience (SCRES) using a concept mapping framework to seek conceptual clarity, with an emphasis on SCRES definitions, essential capabilities, elements and managerial practices. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review was conducted of 103 peer-reviewed journal articles covering the period from 2000 to 2015, with the aim to identify supply chain resilience concept. Findings: Through analysis and synthesis of the literature, the study revealed three major constructs used to define resilience in supply chain: SCRES phases, strategies, and capabilities. The study has addressed five core resilience capabilities: the ability to anticipate, to adapt, to respond, to recover, and to learn. The study has also identified 13 essential elements and several managerial practices that support firms to acquire the five capabilities. The studied capabilities are then linked with supply chain resilient phases and strategies in order to establish an integrated view of the concept. Research limitations/implications: The explorative nature of this study and the role of the concept mapping framework, which does not empirically test the relationships in the model, are considered as limitations, to be addressed by the authors in future research. Originality/value: The originality of this paper lies in the classification of different features of SCRES through a comprehensive concept mapping framework that establishes relationships and interactions between them. This study, therefore, lays a foundation for testing these connections in future empirical studies. The article brings together fragmented literature from multiple studies to create a solid body of knowledge that addresses the need for conceptual clarity in SCRES literature

Supply chain resilience: definition, review and theoretical foundations for further study

There has been considerable academic interest in recent years in supply chain resilience (SCRES). This paper presents a timely review of the available literature on SCRES based on a three-stage systematic search that identified 91 articles/sources. We provide a comprehensive definition of SCRES before strategies proposed for improving resilience are identified and the contributions to the literature are critiqued, e.g. in terms of research method and use of theory. We take stock of the field and identify the most important future research directions. A wide range of strategies for improving resilience are identified, but most attention has been on increasing flexibility, creating redundancy, forming collaborative supply chain relationships and improving supply chain agility. We also find that only limited research has been conducted into choosing and implementing an appropriate set of strategies for improving SCRES. Much of the literature is conceptual, theoretical and normative; the few available empirical studies are mainly cross-sectional and confined to a large firm, developed country context; and, there has been limited use of theory frames to improve understanding. We propose Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) theory as an appropriate lens for studying SCRES. We demonstrate that SCRES mirrors many characteristics of a CAS – including adaptation and coevolution, non-linearity, self-organisation and emergence – with implications for the direction of both future research and practice

The best of times and the worst of times: empirical operations and supply chain management research

We assess the current state of empirical research in operations and supply chain management (OSM), using Dickens’ contrast between the best of times and the worst of times as a frame. The best of times refers to the future that empirical OSM research is now entering, with exciting opportunities available using big data and other new data sources, new empirical approaches and analytical techniques and innovative tools for developing theory. These are well aligned with new research questions related to the digital economy, Industry 4.0, the impact of the millennial generation as consumers, social media, 3D printing, etc. However, we also explore how it is the worst of times, focusing on the challenges and problems that plague empirical OSM research. Our goal is to show how OSM researchers can learn from the worst of times, in order to be poised to take advantage of the best of times. We introduce the research diamond as a vehicle for emphasising the importance of a balanced research perspective that treats the research problem, theory, data collection and data analysis as equally important, requiring alignment between them. By learning and addressing the issues in this period of the best of times and the worst of times, we can take advantage of the opportunities facing our field to generate research that is balanced, insightful, rigorous, relevant, impactful and interesting

Pharmaceuticals supply chain management:buffering & bridging response strategies in shortage management

There exists a growing and tenacious challenge in the medicine supply chain, to manage the consequences of supply chain disruptions. Hospitals experience frequent shortages, in a European based study, 45% of respondents indicated that life preserving drugs were affected by shortages (Pauwels 2015). This research seeks to augment theoretical understanding underlying this significant issue and provide advice in the management of shortages which is a critical issue within the pharmaceutical industry. Previous research has focused on the antecedents of supply chain disruptions; what happens after a disruption has received scant attention. This research acknowledges that gap and seeks to build on the Bode et al. (2011), model of organisational responses to supply chain disruptions. This study uses a research onion design as a stencil to guide the pluralistic methodological approach chosen to release the multifaceted dimensions of the problem under consideration. Data collection instruments were interviews, an online survey, and focus groups. It was based on 318 acute care hospitals in the UK and Ireland. Findings indicate there are patterns of responses, and shortage performances vary depending on the length of time since the disruption and response mixture chosen. This research gives new insights into the impact of supply chain disruption response behaviour and supply chain performance in shortage management. It provides additional empirical tests to the Bode et al. (2011) normative model, providing insights into the underlying balanced theories, through examination of three constructs: supply chain disruption orientation; supply chain disruption performance and organisational response. It extends the concept of supply chain disruption orientation and highlights how response behaviour can feed back into the dynamic decision-making process, augmenting the Bode et al. (2011) framework. It provides insights to managers taking a system-wide view on drug delivery performance

Strategies and Effective Decision-Making against Terrorism Affecting Supply Chain Risk Management and Security

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the knowledge gaps in the published research on terrorism-related risk in supply chains, and to develop a framework of strategies and effective decision-making to enable practitioners to address terrorism-related risks in supply chain risk management (SCRM) and security.Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a novel combination of triangulated methods comprising a systematic literature review (SLR), text mining and network analysis. These methods have not been jointly utilized in past studies, and the approach constitutes a rigorous methodology that cross-validates results and ensures the reliability and validity of qualitative data.Findings The study reveals a number of key themes in the field of SCRM and security linked with terrorism. The authors identify relevant mitigation strategies and practices for effective strategic decision making. This subsequently leads us to develop a strategic framework of strategies and effective decision-making practices to address terrorism-related risk, affecting SCRM and security. The authors also identify key knowledge gaps in the literature and explore the main contributions by disciplines (e.g. business schools, engineering and maritime institutions) and countries.Practical implications The authors provide a strategic framework of strategies and effective decision-making practices that managers can use to minimize terrorism-related risk in the context of SCRM and security.Originality/value This paper introduces a novel methodological combination for improving the quality of SLRs. It uses the approach to systematically review the strategies and effective decision-making practices interlinked with terrorism risk, affecting SCRM and security. It identifies significant knowledge gaps and defines directions for future research

A Systematic Literature Review

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide groundwork for an emerging theory of supply chain robustness – which has been conceptualized as a dimension of supply chain resilience – through reviewing and synthesizing related yet disconnected studies. The paper develops a formal definition of supply chain robustness to build a framework that captures the dimensions, antecedents and moderators of the construct as discussed in the literature. Design/methodology/approach – The authors apply a systematic literature review approach. In order to reduce researcher bias, they involve a team of academics, librarians and managers. Findings – The paper (1) provides a formal definition of supply chain robustness, (2) builds a theoretical framework of supply chain robustness that augments both causal and descriptive knowledge, (3) shows how findings in this review support practice and (4) reveals methodological insights on the use of journal rankings in reviews. Research limitations/implications – At this stage, managers may benefit from seeing these relationships as clues derived from the literature. The paper is fundamentally a call for researchers to conduct quantitative testing of such relationships to derive more reliable understanding and practical applications. Practical implications – Rather than presenting empirical findings, this paper reveals to managers that visibility, risk management orientation and reduced network complexity have been the main predictive antecedents of supply chain robustness (as discussed in the academic literature). This provides a potentially important signal as to where to invest resources. Originality/value – The study is the first to develop a formal definition of supply chain robustness and to establish a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding the construct