Supply chain collaboration aligns order-winning strategy with business outcomes

The paper aims to find out whether appropriate choice of collaboration will enable the required order-winners, leading to improved business outcomes. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed with cross-sectional data to test the hypothesised relationships among order-winners, modes of collaboration, and business outcomes. Results indicate that firms that focus on flexibility, quality, and delivery should develop strategic collaboration with suppliers to achieve market and innovation improvement. Cost- and quality-focussed firms should develop operational collaboration to achieve resource efficiency. The model allows managers to understand the right alignment of external suppliers while working on their own order-winners being pursued to win business performance

Managing logistics outsourcing to China: business problems and solutions for Australian firms

This study aims to investigate the outsourcing relationships between firms in Australia and China by using a problem-solution approach, and find out practical solutions. Empirical data from Australian firms were collected by a questionnaire survey and interviews. The survey data were analysed by descriptive statistics and correlation to find the most common problems and related solutions, and then eight case studies were compiled. The results agree that outsourcing can achieve many significant benefits, though it presents a variety of new risks. Solutions found include increasing communication levels, trust and management control

The effect of digital transformation and innovation on SMEs’ performance in times of COVID-19

This study examines the impact of digital capabilities and digital orientation on the digital transformation and digital innovation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, this study assesses how the role of digital transformation and digital innovation mediates the relationship between digital capabilities, digital orientation, and SME performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a sample of 247 SMEs managers, data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling with a partial least square approach. The findings demonstrate the significant and positive influence of digital capability and orientation on SMEs’ digital transformation and innovation during the pandemic. Additionally, the study confirms that digital transformation and innovation positively affect SMEs’ performance during the pandemic. Furthermore, the study reveals that digital transformation and innovation mediate the relationship between digital orientation and capability on SMEs’ performance during the pandemic. However, digital innovation was not found to significantly mediate the link between digital capability and SMEs’ performance

Internet of Things for improving Supply Chain Performance: A Qualitative study of Australian retailers

Internet of Things (IoT) is a global platform of Internet connected smart devices that have been argued to improve the supply chain integration (SCI). While the positive effect of IoT capability on SCI influencing supply chain and firm performance is empirically validated, exploratory study in this context is limited. Drawing upon the organisational capability theory, this study investigates the use of IoT in enhancing the integration of suppliers, customers and internal activities of the retail supply chain. Interviews of managers across Australian retail industry were analysed using Nvivo. The thematic analysis reveals the added capability of IoT that improves supply chain visibility, auto-capture and information sharing for greater SCI. The IoT-enabled integration capability demonstrates a positive effect on cost, quality, delivery, and flexibility of the entire supply chain and improves retail firm’s sustainable performance with financial,social and environmental outcomes

Predicting the success of the supply chain dyadic relationship: a qualitative study of dyads

The existing supply chain dyadic relationship (SCDR) measurement tools mainly focus on a narrow group of elements in a fully developed business-to-business dyadic relationship. Predicting the success of a dyadic relationship during the very early stage of a relationship is quite critical since the existing SCDR elements have limited capabilities. Drawing on transaction cost economics and social exchange theory, this study aims to explore and enhance the SCDR measurement tools that can likely predict putative relationship success. Using mixed methods in a longitudinal study, the research used qualitative interviews with an expert panel of supply chain practitioners, and then surveys of selected dyads. Results show that culture matching is perceived to be a key element of the revised SCDR tool, one that will likely predict relationship success. The enhanced tool helps managers to comprehend the importance of organisational culture and its critical role in predicting the dyadic relationship success

The effect of “Internet of Things” on supply chain integration and performance: An organisational capability perspective

The Internet of things (IoT) is a next generation of Internet connected embedded ICT systems in a digital environment to seamlessly integrate supply chain and logistics processes. Integrating emerging IoT into the current ICT systems can be unique because of its intelligence, autonomous and pervasive applications. However, research on the IoT adoption in supply chain domain is scarce and acceptance of the IoT into the retail services in specific has been overly rhetoric. This study is drawn upon the organisational capability theory for developing an empirical model considering the effect of IoT capabilities on multiple dimensions of supply chain process integration, and in turn improves supply chain performance as well as organisational performance. Cross-sectional survey data from 227 Australian retail firms was analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The results indicate that IoT capability has a positive and significant effect on internal, customer-, and supplier-related process integration that in turn positively affects supply chain performance and organisational performance. Theoretically, the study contributes to a body of knowledge that integrates information systems research into supply chain integration by establishing an empirical evidence of how IoT-enabled process integration can enhance the performance at both supply chain and organisational level. Practically, the results inform the managers of the likely investment on IoT that can lead to chain’s performance outcome

Strategic Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Supply Chain Innovation from the Perspective of Collaborative Advantage

This study aims to investigate the mechanisms by which firms’ strategic entrepreneurship (SE) impacts the achievement of their collaborative advantage (CA) for sustainable supply chain innovation. It includes a comprehensive analysis of the direct effect of SE on CA, the contingent effects of organizational structure and collaborative networks on this impact and the interaction effect of exploration and exploitation strategies under SE. An integrated conceptual model is proposed and the hypotheses are tested by structural equation modeling (SEM) using survey data from 432 manufacturing firms in China. The results confirm the positive impact of SE on CA, which is moderated differently by decentralized, formalized and specialized organizational structures. Meanwhile, vertical and horizontal collaborations lead to different types of advantages, and firms need to balance exploration and exploitation strategies across functional domains to achieve strategic ambidexterity, which further improves CA and facilitates sustainable supply chain innovation. Theoretically, this study is original in applying SE to the collaborative advantage in a supply chain context, while taking into account the high complexity of supply chain collaboration with a contingency approach. Practically, this study provides important managerial implications and specific recommendations for different firms to achieve sustainability in supply chain collaboration and innovation