Information technology for competitive advantage within logistics and supply chains: a review

This paper offers a systematic review of the literature on the use of information technology (IT) in logistics and supply chain management to achieve competitive advantage. While IT has revolutionized traditional logistics and supply chains to achieve numerous benefits such as increased efficiency and responsiveness, it is not still clear to what extend IT has contributed to competitive advantage within logistics and supply chains. This paper contributes to this debate by: (i) reporting the literature on the role of IT in achieving competitive advantage within logistics and supply chains based on the linkages between ‘adaptation’, ‘alignment’, and ‘agility’, (triple A’s) (Lee, 2004), and (ii) discussing managerial implications and identifying future research directions

Method to integrate management tools aiming organizational excellence

Paper aims The main objective of this article is to present and validate a method to integrate multiple management tools aiming for organizational excellence in medium and large enterprises. Originality There is a scarcity of methods to integrate management tools to support companies in their operations. This study aims to fill this gap, proposing a manner for companies to perform this integration. Research method The method was developed considering tools and concepts well-established in the literature, such as Lean Thinking, Six Sigma, Balanced ScoreCard, among other management tools. The mentioned method was validated through a survey with managers and directors who are experts in organizational strategies. They were carefully selected considering their professional background. Main findings The proposed method provides an alignment between strategy and execution, presenting a cyclical characteristic to be continuously reviewed method, considering market needs. The survey verified the adherence of the method and to conclude that it is a feasible alternative to reach organizational excellence. Although integration of management methods is fundamental for companies to reach organizational excellence status, this kind of guidelines is scarce in the literature. Implications for theory and practice This method can be used to increase companies’ performance and competitivity

Managing cyber and information risks in supply chains: insights from an exploratory analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how companies approach the management of cyber and information risks in their supply chain, what initiatives they adopt to this aim, and to what extent along the supply chain. In fact, the increasing level of connectivity is transforming supply chains, and it creates new opportunities but also new risks in the cyber space. Hence, cyber supply chain risk management (CSCRM) is emerging as a new management construct. The ultimate aim is to help organizations in understanding and improving the CSCRM process and cyber resilience in their supply chains.Design/methodology/approachThis research relied on a qualitative approach based on a comparative case study analysis involving five large multinational companies with headquarters, or branches, in the UK.FindingsResults highlight the importance for CSCRM to shift the viewpoint from the traditional focus on companies’ internal information technology (IT) infrastructure, able to “firewall themselves” only, to the whole supply chain with a cross-functional approach; initiatives for CSCRM are mainly adopted to “respond” and “recover” without a well-rounded approach to supply chain resilience for a long-term capacity to adapt to changes according to an evolutionary approach. Initiatives are adopted at a firm/dyadic level, and a network perspective is missing.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper extends the current theory on cyber and information risks in supply chains, as a combination of supply chain risk management and resilience, and information risk management. It provides an analysis and classification of cyber and information risks, sources of risks and initiatives to managing them according to a supply chain perspective, along with an investigation of their adoption across the supply chain. It also studies how the concept of resilience has been deployed in the CSCRM process by companies. By laying the first empirical foundations of the subject, this study stimulates further research on the challenges and drivers of initiatives and coordination mechanisms for CSCRM at a supply chain network level.Practical implicationsResults invite companies to break the “silos” of their activities in CSCRM, embracing the whole supply chain network for better resilience. The adoption of IT security initiatives should be combined with organisational ones and extended beyond the dyad. Where applicable, initiatives should be bi-directional to involve supply chain partners, remove the typical isolation in the CSCRM process and leverage the value of information. Decisions on investments in CSCRM should involve also supply chain managers according to a holistic approach.Originality/valueA supply chain perspective in the existing scientific contributions is missing in the management of cyber and information risk. This is one of the first empirical studies dealing with this interdisciplinary subject, focusing on risks that are now very high in the companies’ agenda, but still overlooked. It contributes to theory on information risk because it addresses cyber and information risks in massively connected supply chains through a holistic approach that includes technology, people and processes at an extended level that goes beyond the dyad

Decision-Making in Data-Intensive Environments and Its Impact on Organisational Design: Dynamic Capabilities Approach

The main purpose of this research is to investigate how organisations that are dealing with large datasets can improve their decision-making processes by developing new and reconfiguring existing capabilities. Business environments are getting increasingly dynamic and data-intensive because of emerging technologies and advances in data science, information and communication technologies, which require enterprises to make regular and faster decisions. In this regard, one of the new phenomena that has revolutionised businesses is big data providing organisations with opportunities and also challenges. Based on big data’s capability to provide useful information for dynamic decision-making processes, this study aims to investigate how big data influences decision-making processes and, consequently organisational design. It seeks to identify how organisations change and design either of those processes and their organisational structure to make sense of big data. This study uses an integrated approach of dynamic capabilities as a lens to identify the sources of dynamism in organisations. This approach takes into account three levels of dynamism including individual, interpersonal and corporate levels, which are employed in the process of data analysis. In terms of methodology and methods, this study uses a multiple case-study approach in order to gain rich and illuminating data about each case and the phenomenon under investigation. The cases of this study are chosen from organisations that are using large datasets as a source of information for decision-making based in the UK. Nine cases were studied, from which twelve people were interviewed. Interviewees included business intelligence and analytics experts and managers who have a deep understanding of organisational and information-processing mechanisms. The reasoning technique is abductive, meaning that some of the concepts are taken from the literature and constant comparison are made between literature and data to identify emerging concepts. This study, contributes to decision-making theory by providing insights about dynamic decision-making in the context of big data and a better understanding of organisational strategies for working with and leveraging value from big data. In addition, for the practical aspect, it contributes to guiding practitioners in evaluating their organisations to inform improvement to become better enabled for big data-driven decision-making

The mediating role of Information Technology in the decision-making context

International audiencePurpose: This paper contributes to the management literature by providing a theoretical frame. We analyze the dynamic relationship and interactions that exist between three organizational capabilities (collective intelligence, knowledge management and innovation) and the correlation with decision-making effectiveness. The aim is identifying the interaction between the different dimensions and the mediating role of Information Technology. Design/methodology/approach: Our research question is to determine how organization can combine these capabilities to create superior value and to understand the role played by Information Technology. Our conceptual model is founded on the interconnection between different dynamic propositions. Finding: We find in the review of the literature that the different capabilities are interdependent and have a positive association with effective decision-making and superior value creation. Research limitations: Our theoretical model could incorporate other organizational capabilities, such as organizational performance. Additionally, ground experimentation and simulation are needed to confirm our proposal. Practical implications: The findings carry theoretical implications for the decision-making literature as they extend the scope of the research on information technology management. Moreover, this research allows manager to recognize better how to manage their employees effectively and to extend their strategy space with the aim of identifying new managerial practices. Originality/value: The conceptual model links various organizational capabilities with strategic notions in the management of organizations. The goal of this theoretical article is to understand how three organizational capabilities affect firms' decision-making and how Information Technology can optimize the process