Supply chain temple of resilience

In March 2011, an earthquake and tsunami hit the north-eastern coastline of Japan. Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Subaru all had plants in or close to the affected region, and were forced to close them

RFID Demystified: Part 3. Company Case Studies.

In the previous two parts of RFID Demystified we have discussed the technology, possible benefits and areas of application for with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems. In this final part we review Company Case-Studies of those who have decided to apply the technology within their organisation. It will be seen that considerable benefits are being experienced within some organisations, pilot applications are increasing our learning and providing a foundation for the future success of projects in this area

Understanding collaborative supply chain relationships through the application of the Williamson organisational failure framework

Many researchers have studied supply chain relationships however, the preponderance of open markets situations and ‘industry-style’ surveys have reduced the empirical focus on the dynamics of long-term, collaborative dyadic relationships. Within the supply chain the need for much closer, long-term relationships is increasing due to supplier rationalisation and globalisation (Spekman et al, 1998) and more information about these interactions is required. The research specifically tested the well-accepted Williamson’s (1975) Economic Organisations Failure Framework as a theoretical model through which long term collaborative relationships can be

Long Term Collaborative Business Relationships: The Impact of Trust and C3 Behaviour

Long-term, collaborative business relationships are like marriages where tolerance, forbearance and some reduction of freedom as well as innovation are necessary to ensure success. Trust and co-operative behaviours are known to be essential ingredients in securing an environment of continuous improvement but, how they are correlated has yet to be tested. The paper describes a research project within a sample of long-term monopoly businesses as a novel approach to bringing trust and cooperation, co-ordination and collaboration (C3 Behaviour) into sharper focus without competitive distractions. It was found that a correlation between trust and C3 Behaviour and the success of the collaborative relationship exists

The journey toward omni-channel retailing

The article informs that shifting in omni-channel retailing will increase sales in bricks-and-mortar retailers, and will enable them to compete with electronic commerce firms. Topics discussed include need of changing marketing based descriptions to operational explanations, improving of customer buying process along with customer overall interaction with a retailer, and providing features such as comparison shopping and transparent availability visibility

Approaches to assessing and minimizing blood wastage in the hospital and blood supply chain

Despite the scale of blood usage worldwide, blood remains a scarce and precious resource. As with any perishable product, careful management of inventories to minimize wastage is crucial. However, due to the nature of the supply of blood, wastage is not only an economic issue as every unit wasted, squanders the time and effort of the human donor. Blood inventory management is therefore a trade-off, ensuring 100% availability of all blood products at all times whilst minimizing wastage. Hospitals are at the front line of blood use and are the location where much blood is wasted. Inventory management practices in hospital transfusion laboratories are critical. Much of the extant literature in this area posits that good management of hospital blood inventories is due to sophisticated inventory models and algorithms. However, recent research has found that good management practices are much more important. The drivers for low wastage and good inventory management practice can be described using six key themes. Blood supply chain management is much more than managing wastage in hospitals. Proper management of the supply chain as a whole can lead to significant reductions in blood wastage. Recent research has found that methods commonly used in commercial supply chain management can lead to efficiencies in the blood supply chain context. An example of this is stock sharing or lateral transhipment of blood units close to expiry between hospitals, reducing wastage across the supply chain

Adaptation of supply management towards a hybrid culture: the case of a Japanese automaker

Purpose – This paper aims to identify problems caused by cultural differences between Japan and China that face supply chain managers by applying Japanese-style supply management practices within supply networks in China and present solutions to this problem. Design/methodology/approach – A single, longitudinal case study conducting two waves of data collection (i.e. interviews and observation) plus the collection of much archival data was performed. It goes beyond the dyad by examining supply management of a Japanese company’s supply chain up to three tiers in China. Findings – The four supply cultural differences between Japan and China, which caused the cultural clashes between JVCo and some of its suppliers were revealed and a model of adaptation of Japanese supply management to the Chinese business system was developed. Adaptation involves creating new supply management practices out of selective adaptation, innovation and change of existing Japanese and Chinese supply management practices rooted in different Japanese, Chinese and Western cultures. A list of organisational factors affecting the adaptation has also been provided. Research limitations/implications – Due to the adoption of a single case study method, caution should be given to generalising the findings to all Japanese firms. Practical implications – The Japanese, Chinese and Western managers were provided with insights on how to mitigate the problems caused by cultural differences within supply relationships in China and some innovative ideas on how managers from all three cultures could blend the elements of the three cultures to form a hybrid culture and reduce cultural clashes. Originality/value – This is one of the few attempts to study the transfer of Japanese supply management practice to China. Organizational theory (i.e. transfer of organizational practice and hybridization) is applied and provides a robust framework to explain the supply management practice. This study also answers the call for a global supplier relationship management paradigm