Theoretical Basics for Developing Business Information Systems for Jointly Managing Uncertainty, Communication, and Trust in Supply Chains

Uncertainty is a major problem in any supply chain. Inventory and excess capacities used to cope with uncertainty are significant cost drivers. Advanced information systems have been employed to support information exchange along the supply chain and were successful in synchronizing supply and demand and downsizing inventories. However, close cooperation requires mutual trust as a basis. Current information systems do not specifically address this issue. This paper outlines the relation of uncertainty to communication and trust and sketches approaches for information systems to enable integrated process-oriented cooperation and trust management

A Network Perspective on Inter-Organizational Transfer of R&D Capabilities: A Study of International Joint Ventures in Chinese Automobile Industry

Multinational enterprises' transfer of R&D capabilities to their international joint ventures in the less developed countries has been an emerging phenomenon. The purpose of this study is to understand the transfer of R&D capabilities between organizations embedded in drastically different organizational contexts using a network perspective. We identified different networks involved in the R&D capability transfer process from the perspectives of source organization, recipient organization and the interface between them, and analyzed the impact of different attributes of these networks on the effectiveness of R&D capability transfer, based on the notion that R&D capabilities are largely collective knowledge.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39746/3/wp362.pd

Understanding Collaborative Dynamics: A Critical Review and Inductive Investigation

Collaboration has been a topic of discussion for over 20 years. Managers are consistently calling for better collaboration and researchers have argued that managing tightly coupled relationships creates a co-mingling of complementary competencies that establishes distinctive advantages for firms. Even though there have been a few exemplar companies that have been capable of truly developing these complementary competencies, few companies truly understand the dynamics of a collaborative capability. This dissertation reviews the theoretical conceptualization and operationalization of tightly coupled relationships and through an interpretive analysis, begins to provide clarity to the following questions: * Under what conditions are tightly coupled relationship strategies justified? * What are the elements that constitute effective relationship strategies? * How can these elements be dynamically configured to deliver superior value and firm performance? Essay 1 sets up the theoretical foundation for the dissertation through an in-depth review of the current collaboration/integration literature and delineates and summarizes contrasting dimensions in supply chain relational strategies. An orienting conceptual framework is developed to provide clear insights for the analysis that is conducted in essay 3. Essay 2 focuses on the ontological and epistemological aspects of hermeneutics and promotes the use of this methodology for future research in the supply chain field. Because this methodology is new to the supply chain field a full methodological guideline is described and explained. Through a hermeneutical analysis, Essay 3 evaluates the operationalization of tightly coupled relationships using interview data from a combination of 11 manufacturers and retailers who practice collaborative behavior. The literature review and the orienting conceptual framework from Essay 1 are used to set the stage for the hermeneutical analysis. From the analysis, a framework is developed for use in future research

A Network Perspective on Inter-Organizational Transfer of R&D Capabilities: A Study of International Joint Ventures in Chinese Automobile Industry

Multinational enterprises' transfer of R&D capabilities to their international joint ventures in the less developed countries has been an emerging phenomenon. The purpose of this study is to understand the transfer of R&D capabilities between organizations embedded in drastically different organizational contexts using a network perspective. We identified different networks involved in the R&D capability transfer process from the perspectives of source organization, recipient organization and the interface between them, and analyzed the impact of different attributes of these networks on the effectiveness of R&D capability transfer, based on the notion that R&D capabilities are largely collective knowledge.R&D capabilities, networks, international knowledge transfer, joint ventures, collective knowledge

A grounded theory approach focused on a holistic supply chain integration management approach

This research sustains the current dialogue and latest literature on supply chain management (SCM), triple bottom line sustainability, and technology deployment, by highlighting the importance for SMEs to undertake supply chain integration (SCI) initiatives to achieve competitive advantage. Nowadays, it is pivotal for all actors within the manufacturing sector, to deploy a SC strategic approach, together with its business and manufacturing strategies, to compete effectively across the globe instead of working alone. The inductively generated theory, based on a grounded theory methodology, highlights that an integrated management and leadership approach, based on a set of strategic measures and a set of best practices, as referred by the conceptual framework, is the way forward, since such a stance is needed to serve as a driver and as a binding force of all SC actors to form up a SCI holistic approach to achieve outstanding competitive performance.peer-reviewe

The Complementary Perspective of System of Systems in Collaboration, Integration, and Logistics: A Value-Chain Based Paradigm of Supply Chain Management

The importance and complexity of the problems associated with coordinating multiple organizations to configure value propositions for customers has drawn the attention of multiple disciplines. In an effort to clarify and consolidate terms, this conceptual research examines both supply chain management (SCM) and system of systems (SoS) literature to postulate, from a value-chain perspective, what roles integration and collaboration play in helping supply chains satisfy customer requirements. A literature review analysis was used to identify the commonalities and differences between supply chain management and system of systems approaches to examining interfirm coordination of value creation efforts. Although a framework of integration and collaboration roles in value creation is proposed, further empirical testing of the concept is required to substantiate initial conclusions. The concepts proposed may help clarify where strategic and operational managers need to focus their efforts in coordinating supply chain member firms. The incorporation of SoS engineering into the supply chain field will draw the linkage between the constituent principles, and concepts of Systems Theory as appropriate for the supply chain management field. This is the first effort to reconcile two separate but parallel scholarship streams examining the coordination of multiple organizations in value creation. This research shows that there are some methodologies, principles, and methods from the SoS field that can supplement supply chain management research. Mainly due to a unit of analysis issue, systems based approaches have not been in the mainstream of supply chain management field development

Integrative Practices in Supply Chains: Building Relationships for Competitiveness in Dynamic Environments

Firms are increasingly relying on their supply-chain relationships to compete in an era of globalization and change. To this end firms integrate various processes and business activities with their supply chain partners. Supply chain integration (SCI) literature studies the performance benefits of such integration under different business conditions. Existing SCI research takes a black-box view of integration where different integrative practices are studied as one integration construct. This black-box view has limited applications because it masks the differences in SCI practices. In this dissertation we answer the following questions: what are the different elements that comprise the integration construct? What are the important differences between these elements in their relationships with performance and with environmental dynamism? We follow a rigorous and reproducible qualitative analysis procedure to identify the constructs that makeup the black-box of integration. We define the new elements of integration and generate measurement scales for them that are pre-tested using Q-sort. We then empirically verify our new conceptualization of integration by collecting survey data from manufacturers in North America. The survey results are analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to yield reliable and valid measurement scales. The survey data is used to analyze the performance impact of the various integration elements. We find that basic communication elements are no longer order-winners and cannot be a source of increased profitability. We also find that operational excellence elements and knowledge generation elements both increase profits but only the knowledge generation elements are able to increase competitive advantage over rivals. These results provide an explanation for the inconsistent findings in the literature on the integration performance relationship. We also test how environmental dynamism impacts the relationships between the elements of integration and performance. Our results show that knowledge generation elements are more useful in highly dynamic conditions, while operational excellence elements are more useful in stable conditions. This dissertation makes significant contributions in providing conceptual synthesis and extension of theory as well as empirical verification of new insights. Our work is relevant to practitioners as it can assist them in making relationship level decisions regarding integration under various business conditions

Supply Chain Resource Planning Systems: A Scenario of Future Enterprise Systems

To envisage possible future enterprise systems, we describe four scenarios that all respond to the increasing need for better supply chain-wide coordination of resource allocation decisions. We use two drivers to derive these scenarios; namely “normal form of providing corporate computing resources” and “stance of regulators towards explicit forms of industry-wide coordination”, the latter of which includes cooperation among competitors. While three of our scenarios are familiar to contemporary readers, the fourth, supply chain resource planning (SCRP) systems, marks a radical break with current practice. We describe the operating principle of SCRP systems and discuss possible governance structures for organizations supporting SCRP systems. We hope to encourage discussion about the future of enterprise systems that moves beyond extrapolating past and current trends. The paper concludes by outlining four areas for promising future research

Exploring Relationships and Information Exchange in Grocery Supply Chains: a Case Study of the Enablers and Inhibitors.

The last decade has seen a growing interest from academics and practitioners in the development of collaborative supply chain relationships based on information exchange. Most of the evidence gathered within this management research area has been biased towards the role of the buyer/supplier dyadic exchange in the integration of the supply chain. The role of the other parties and the systemic nature of supply chain management have been relatively ignored. Previous research in this area has also been biased due to the narrow focus of investigation, with one problem being obtaining access to all parties involved in the supply chain. The purpose of this study was to overcome the aforementioned research biases and therefore, contribute to the understanding of the collaborative relationship development process from a broader supply chain perspective. Open access was gained to six organisations across three tiers of a coffee supply chain in the UK grocery sector. Within this context, a theory building approach was applied to the data collected in the case study. Through constant comparison and coding of data from multiple strategic, tactical, operational, inter- and intra-organisational exchanges within the same context, several findings were made. An interesting finding from the research is the evolving role of the supply chain integrator, whereby the manufacturer seeks to balance the needs of its retail customers with the sourcing and procurement of raw and packaging materials from its suppliers. In terms of the concepts of supply chain relationships and information exchange, there are a number of common enablers and inhibitors. The inter-relationship between the two concepts is however complex and requires further study. The other findings of the research are expressed as a tentative theoretical framework and a series of new emerging enablers and inhibitors to collaborative relationships and information exchange in the supply chain. Finally the enablers and inhibitors grounded from the case study provide a guide to the relational and often context specific factors that can influence the development of collaborative supply chain relationships based on information exchange