34,490 research outputs found

    Going for growth: our future prosperity

    Get PDF

    Sustainable and resilient supply chain management : scale development

    Get PDF
    Paper delivered at the 21st Logistics Research Network annual conference 2016, 7th-9th September 2016, Hull. Abstract Purpose: This paper reports on the status of an ongoing empirical study to enhance our understanding of factors contributing to better supply chain performance in the context of sustainable and resilient supply chain management, and updates the literature review and research framework presented in Joradon et al. (2015). That paper operationalized eight firm practices that are now being tested in a quantitative study to investigate how sustainable and resilient supply chain management might improve supply chain performance. Sustainable and resilient supply chain management requires firms to consider supply chain performance within environmental, economic, social, vulnerability, and capability parameters. This paper presents the scale development for this study which will analyse the current level of sustainable and resilient supply chain management practices in firms and help guide them to assess and amend their procedures and processes to become more sustainable and resilient in future. Research approach: The empirical study contains measurement scale and constructs developed according to Churchill (1979) two-phase framework. The first phase was based on data gathered from interviews with nine managers across four electronic companies and two distributors in Thailand using semi-structured interviews. The data from the interviews as well as the extant literature was then used to develop measurement scales and constructs for the next phase, which was a survey with approximately 500 electronic companies in Thailand. Findings and Originality: At the date of writing semi-structured interviews have been conducted and some opportunities to shape the measurement scale and constructs have been identified. The survey is currently being completed and the conference presentation will provide results from analysis to date. While the investigation of sustainable and resilient supply chain management together has yet to be explored in a focused way, this paper is original since it offers an investigation of these two topics and their relationship with supply chain performance. Research Impact: The study will produce new performance measurement scales for sustainable and resilient supply chain management as well as an agenda for future research to validate the findings across other sectors and contexts. Mixed-methodologies were applied in this study to ensure face, content and construct validity. Practical Impact: The study will provide direction for firms to measure their supply chain performance in the context of sustainable and resilient supply chain management practices, as well as a proposed set of measurement scales based on sustainable supply chain management and supply chain resilience management practices to measure the impact of these practices to the firm. The findings will help firms to understand their level of sustainable and resilient supply chain management in order to improve and adjust their procedures to be more sustainable and resilient in future

    Methodology for Designing Decision Support Systems for Visualising and Mitigating Supply Chain Cyber Risk from IoT Technologies

    Full text link
    This paper proposes a methodology for designing decision support systems for visualising and mitigating the Internet of Things cyber risks. Digital technologies present new cyber risk in the supply chain which are often not visible to companies participating in the supply chains. This study investigates how the Internet of Things cyber risks can be visualised and mitigated in the process of designing business and supply chain strategies. The emerging DSS methodology present new findings on how digital technologies affect business and supply chain systems. Through epistemological analysis, the article derives with a decision support system for visualising supply chain cyber risk from Internet of Things digital technologies. Such methods do not exist at present and this represents the first attempt to devise a decision support system that would enable practitioners to develop a step by step process for visualising, assessing and mitigating the emerging cyber risk from IoT technologies on shared infrastructure in legacy supply chain systems

    The Conceptual Framework for Business Process Innovation: Towards a Research Program on Global Supply Chain Intelligence

    Get PDF
    This paper proposes a research program on Business Process Innovation: Towards Global Supply Chain Intelligence. Few words are more ubiquitous in business or society today than "innovation". This reflects that businesses are striving for ways to survive and thrive in an increasingly complex and connected world (IBM 2006). Most industrial supply chains today are globally scattered and nearly all organizations rely on their Enterprise Information Systems (ES) for integration and coordination of their activities. In this context innovation inevitably is driven by advanced information technology. Organizations today are required not only to operate effective business processes but they also need to accommodate to changing business conditions at an increasing rate. Consequently the ability to develop and implement new processes driven by the Enterprise Information Systems is a central competence in most industries, and furthermore it is a critical practice for a global enterprise. The next practice in Global Supply Chain Management is Business Process Innovation. Business Process Innovation is the transformation of a global supply chain driven by a new advanced Enterprise Information Systems technology. This technology holds the potential to "close the control loop", but until now few organizations have managed to unleash the full potential of global supply chain intelligence. Thus, there is an emerging need for managing the transformation and for new approaches that will lead to robust global supply chains. This paper presents a conceptual framework for Business Process Innovation. A research proposal based on five interrelated topics is derived from the framework. The research program is intended to establish and to develop the conceptual framework for business process innovation and to apply this framework in a global supply chain context. These topics are presented in the following sections, but first the background for the program is discussed.No keywords;

    Building Disaster Resilience within the Emirati Energy Sector through a Comprehensive Strategic Mitigation Plan

    Get PDF
    Disasters, both natural and man-made, have been occurring with increasing frequency and effect in recent decades in many countries around the world. Such threats have been shown to result in a loss of life, property and income and all of which have an impact on the countryā€™s socio-economic structure and geo-political positioning. The UAE is steadily adapting its policies and practices to manage any potential disaster, whether natural or man-made. However, evidently the UAE is exposed and vulnerable to tectonic activity from a number of sources and yet there is little in the form of seismic detection, protection, resistance or design for some of the newest and tallest structures in the world. The paper highlights the importance of the strategic mitigation planning for disaster resilience within the Emirati Energy sector. It discusses the issue of disaster globally and then specifically with regards to the UAE, forming a critical analysis on crisis and its management. A broad literature review of the problems readily associated within the discourse is undertaken so that the definition, classification and the application of the disaster and its management cycle are appropriately contextualised in regards to the Emirati problem. The window of opportunity that the UAE has for improvement is emphasised by the findings of this paper

    Supply chain resilience in Finnish SME family firms

    Get PDF
    Paper delivered at the 21st Logistics Research Network annual conference 2016, 7th-9th September 2016, Hull. Abstract Purpose: The challenging economic landscape in Finland has brought about a stronger need among firms to manage risk and uncertainty in order to maintain operational performance and supply chain continuity. Given this turbulent environment, the contribution and commercial activities that small and medium sized family firms provide for the Finnish economy require them to have knowledge of drivers of risk and the tools to mitigate it. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how resilient small- and medium-sized (SME) family firm supply chains are operating during the current economic turbulence in Finland. Research Approach: The empirical study for this paper took an inductive research approach by devising a framework from the literature on family firm capabilities and supply chain risk and resilience, and then investigating the strength of the framework through qualitative data collection. Multiple-case studies were conducted including pilot and semi-structured interviews with respondents representing six SME family firms active in Finland. Findings and Originality: Risk drivers and key capabilities connected to SME family firms have been identified. The subject of supply chain resilience was perceived as an abstract subject by several firms, but gained increased interest throughout the research. Several resilience-promoting activities are already being conducted by some firms, nevertheless areas of improvement have also been identified. Despite the growing interest of SMEs in risk and resilience not many studies have been conducted on how SME family firms manage their supply chain resilience; thus this study bridges a gap by combining these two elements. Research Impact: There are many different studies on SME family firms but research on how capabilities of the family firm influences supply chain resilience has not received a great degree of academic interest. Further, prior empirical research on how SME family firms manage supply chain risk and resilience in practice is scarce. This study thus informs the literature on these aspects. Practical Impact: The findings of this study contribute valuable insights to managers active in SME family firms when evaluating their level of business risk and uncertainty, particularly relating to their supply chain activities. Further, the findings offer practical guidelines to help improve supply chain continuity and resilience

    Comparative Analysis of Resilience by Supply Network Structure

    Get PDF
    This research applies Kim, et al.ā€™s (2015) supply network structure archetypes to case data related to two disruptions in three industries in Brazil. A total of seven supply networks were studied, through in-depth interviews and archival documents. The findings suggest that there may be additional supply network structures that are relevant. Centralization appears to be a function of the size of the focal firm. There was evidence of an evolution of supply network structures with focal firm size

    Base and surge strategies for controlling environmental and economic costs in logistics triads

    Get PDF
    The aim of this paper is to determine the extent to which it is possible to establish a ā€˜baseā€™ and ā€˜surgeā€™ strategy for logistics provision with a particular emphasis on minimising environmental and economic costs. Our method is the combination of empirical research outputs on the impact of uncertainty on economic and environmental costs, and a synthesis of the literature on resilience and the role of flexibility therein. We find that logistics planners either build contingents into their schedules (a priori) or that they respond with contingencies (a posteriori). The former is associated with a ā€˜baseā€˜ approach; an example of which may be the incorporation of ā€˜slack timeā€˜ into a schedule to accommodate expected delays due to road congestion. The latter is equivalent to a ā€˜surgeā€˜ approach where as an example the logistics provider may have capacity flexibility, in the form of spare vehicles, to accommodate post-plan changes in shipper volume requirements. This paper explicitly rationalises the links between uncertainty, ā€˜baseā€™ and ā€˜surgeā€™ supply chain strategies, and the strategic use of logistics flexibility, in minimising environmental and economic costs in a logistics triad. The output is in the form of a conceptual managerial feedback control system

    Lean and green ā€“ a systematic review of the state of the art literature

    Get PDF
    The move towards greener operations and products has forced companies to seek alternatives to balance efficiency gains and environmental friendliness in their operations and products. The exploration of the sequential or simultaneous deployment of lean and green initiatives is the results of this balancing action. However, the lean-green topic is relatively new, and it lacks of a clear and structured research definition. Thus, this paperā€™s main contribution is the offering of a systematic review of the existing literature on lean and green, aimed at providing guidance on the topic, uncovering gaps and inconsistencies in the literature, and finding new paths for research. The paper identifies and structures, through a concept map, six main research streams that comprise both conceptual and empirical research conducted within the context of various organisational functions and industrial sectors. Important issues for future research are then suggested in the form of research questions. The paperā€™s aim is to also contribute by stimulating scholars to further study this area in depth, which will lead to a better understanding of the compatibility and impact on organisational performance of lean and green initiatives. It also holds important implications for industrialists, who can develop a deeper and richer knowledge on lean and green to help them formulate more effective strategies for their deployment
    • ā€¦
    corecore