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11 – 20 of 137Christian F. Durach, Mary Parkinson, Frank Wiengarten and Mark Pagell
Firms are increasingly required to make ethical choices when selecting suppliers for their supply chains, and the decisions often rest on individual purchasing managers within the…
Abstract
Purpose
Firms are increasingly required to make ethical choices when selecting suppliers for their supply chains, and the decisions often rest on individual purchasing managers within the firm. This study builds on the literature on ethical decision-making and the concept of decision frames to investigate the decision-making process of purchasing managers in financially distressed firms. Codes of Conduct (CoC) and how they are enforced (financial rewards and codified procedures for oversight) are studied in terms of their effectiveness in informing and guiding purchasing managers in their supplier selection decisions.
Design/methodology/approach
Four sequential experiments were conducted with a total of 648 purchasing managers from manufacturing firms.
Findings
The results indicate that purchasing managers in firms facing financial distress are more than four times more likely than purchasing managers in the control groups to select the less ethical supplier in favor of better operational performance. As a potential remedy, it is found that enforcing the firm's CoC help to counteract this tendency and increase ethical supplier selection decisions by 2.1- to 2.6-fold. However, CoC enforcement that invokes multiple conflicting decision frames simultaneously is more likely to impair than promote ethical supplier selection decisions, compared to situations where only one enforcement method is present.
Originality/value
These findings develop an improved understanding of purchasers' decision-making processes and shed light on how to effectively use CoCs to guide these decisions.
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Christian F. Durach, Frank Wiengarten and Thomas Y. Choi
The present study considers disruption in the buyer–supplier–supplier triad. This triad has a common second-tier supplier as the disruption source, which gives us the tetradic…
Abstract
Purpose
The present study considers disruption in the buyer–supplier–supplier triad. This triad has a common second-tier supplier as the disruption source, which gives us the tetradic context. The goal is to advance the knowledge on how a first-tier supplier's resilience against lower-tier disruptive events can be developed through horizontally connecting with the other first-tier supplier and how the buyer can benefit from its first-tier suppliers' resilience capability.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from 33 triads was collected and analyzed.
Findings
As predicted, coopetition between two first-tier suppliers increases the first-tier supplier's capability to be resilient to disruptive events emanating from a lower tier source. However, contrary to initial theorization, the first-tier supplier's resilience capability affects the buyer's performance during disruptive events negatively. With increasing buyer–supplier social bonds, this negative relationship can partly be alleviated.
Research limitations/implications
Analyzing resilience within a triad to a disruption in the tetradic context reveals unexpected dynamics. Individual supplier's resilience may have a negative impact on the buyer's resilience in certain disruption events.
Practical implications
The buyer can increase collective suppliers' resilience through establishing horizontal links. To prevent becoming a victim of the supplier's resilience in the event of a second-tier disruption, a buyer needs to become a member of the supplier's relational network.
Originality/value
We propose that resilience can rest with the suppliers. This observation has implications for the buyer when selecting and coordinating suppliers. Further, it considers a context beyond a triad by venturing into the tetradic context. We anticipate more studies in tetrads in future and this study can serve as a bridge.
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Sunil Babbar, Xenophon Koufteros, Ravi S. Behara and Christina W.Y. Wong
This study aims to examine publications of supply chain management (SCM) researchers from across the world and maps the leadership role of authors and institutions based on how…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine publications of supply chain management (SCM) researchers from across the world and maps the leadership role of authors and institutions based on how prolific they are in publishing and on network measures of centrality while accounting for the quality of the outlets that they publish in. It aims to inform stakeholders on who the leading SCM scholars are, their primary areas of SCM research, their publication profiles and the nature of their networks. It also identifies and informs on the leading SCM research institutions of the world and where leadership in specific areas of SCM research is emerging from.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on SCM papers appearing in a set of seven leading journals over the 15-year period of 2001-2015, publication scores and social network analysis measures of total degree centrality and Bonacich power centrality are used to identify the highest ranked agents in SCM research overall, as well as in some specific areas of SCM research. Social network analysis is also used to examine the nature and scope of the networks of the ranked agents and where leadership in SCM research is emerging from.
Findings
Authors and institutions from the USA and UK are found to dominate much of the rankings in SCM research both by publication score and social network analysis measures of centrality. In examining the networks of the very top authors and institutions of the world, their networks are found to be more inward-looking (country-centric) than outward-looking (globally dispersed). Further, researchers in Europe and Asia alike are found to exhibit significant continental inclinations in their network formations with researchers in Europe displaying greater propensity to collaborate with their European-based counterparts and researchers in Asia with their Asian-based counterparts. Also, from among the journals, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal is found to exhibit a far more expansive global reach than any of the other journals.
Research limitations/implications
The journal set used in this study, though representative of high-quality SCM research outlets, is not exhaustive of all potential outlets that publish SCM research. Further, the measure of quality that this study assigns to the various publications is based solely on a publication score that accounts for the quality of the journals, as rated by Association of Business Schools that the papers appear in and nothing else.
Practical implications
By informing the community of stakeholders of SCM research about the top-ranked SCM authors, institutions and countries of the world, the nature of their networks, as well as what the primary areas of SCM research of the leading authors in the world are, this research provides stakeholders, including managers, researchers and students, information that is helpful to them not only because of the insights it provides but also for the gauging of potential for embedding themselves in specific networks, engaging in collaborative research with the leading agents or pursuing educational opportunities with them.
Originality/value
This research is the first of its kind to identify and rank the top SCM authors and institutions from across the world using a representative set of seven leading SCM and primary OM journals based on publication scores and social network measures of centrality. The research is also the first of its kind to identify and rank the top authors and institutions within specific areas of SCM research and to identify future research opportunities relating to aspects of collaboration and networking in research endeavors.
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Frank Wiengarten, Cristina Gimenez, Brian Fynes and Kasra Ferdows
The purpose of this paper is to assess the influence of cultural collectivism on the efficacy of lean practices. Furthermore, this study assesses whether or not potential cultural…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the influence of cultural collectivism on the efficacy of lean practices. Furthermore, this study assesses whether or not potential cultural disadvantages related to the level of individualism at the national level can be compensated for at the organisational culture level.
Design/methodology/approach
Hofstede’s cultural dimension of individualism is used to test whether practicing a collectivistic culture at the organisational level can fully compensate for the potential disadvantages of being geographically situated in an individualistic culture when practicing lean manufacturing.
Findings
Results suggest that cultural collectivism at the national and organisational level have a significant impact on the efficacy of lean practices. Furthermore, the negative impact of being situated in an individualistic country cannot be fully compensated for through practicing a collectivistic organisational culture when practicing lean.
Originality/value
This study represents a comprehensive attempt to simultaneously assess the collectivism cultural components of lean practices at the national as well as at the organisational level.
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Frank Wiengarten and Annachiara Longoni
This paper aims to report the results of an empirical study examining the operational, environmental and social sustainability performance impact of supply chain integration (SCI…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to report the results of an empirical study examining the operational, environmental and social sustainability performance impact of supply chain integration (SCI) width and depth in the form of coordinative and collaborative SCI.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire was sent to operations managers located in India. The data collection effort was part of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey. Following the approaches by Frohlich and Westbrook (2001) and Schoenherr and Swink (2012), cluster analysis and analysis of covariance methods were conducted.
Findings
This study supports previous studies proposing that wider SCI including customers and suppliers positively impact on performance. The authors also shed light on previous contradictory results, illustrating that different level of SCI depth (i.e. coordinative and collaborative practices) lead to different operational and sustainability performance outcomes. Thus, challenging the view of the general SCI-performance improvement hypothesis.
Originality/value
Although research on SCI has advanced over the past years, there is still controversy about the SCI–performance relationship. Through considering SCI depth in terms of coordinative and collaborative practices, the authors provide a more nuanced view on its potential performance benefits. Therefore, this paper will be beneficial for supply chain managers considering SCI and future supply chain management research.
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Frank Wiengarten, Brian Fynes and George Onofrei
This paper seeks to report the empirical results examining potential synergetic effects between investments in environmental and quality/lean practices within the supply chain.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to report the empirical results examining potential synergetic effects between investments in environmental and quality/lean practices within the supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach
Cross‐country survey data collected by the “Global Manufacturing Research Group” within Europe was utilized to test the hypotheses. Synergetic effects were conceptualized through interaction effects using ordinary least square regression (OLS) analysis.
Findings
Results indicate that synergetic effects between traditional practices such as lean and quality and environmental practices are possible. More specifically, the impact of lean and quality practices on operational supply chain performance can be amplified through environmental practices such as ISO 14001, pollution prevention, recycling of materials and waste reduction.
Originality/value
Although research on the performance impact of environmental practices within the supply chain context has matured over the past years, there is still a scarcity of research exploring their relationship with traditional manufacturing practices such as quality and lean. Underpinned through the resource based view and the concept of complementarity, this study addresses this shortcoming through exploring the impact of environmental practices on the efficacy of quality and lean practices within a supply chain context. This paper will thus be beneficial for supply chain managers developing a case for environmental investments and will further advance research on manufacturing practices within the supply chain context.
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Roberto Chavez, Cristina Gimenez, Brian Fynes, Frank Wiengarten and Wantao Yu
The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of internal lean practices on multiple operational performance dimensions, and assess the contingency perspective of these…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of internal lean practices on multiple operational performance dimensions, and assess the contingency perspective of these relationships with respect to industry clockspeed.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on empirical data gathered from 228 manufacturing companies in the Republic of Ireland. The relationships between the constructs are analyzed through regression analysis.
Findings
The results indicate that the relationships between internal lean practices and quality, delivery, flexibility and cost were found to be positive and significant. Further, industry clockspeed was found to moderate the relationship between internal lean practices and quality, delivery and flexibility, but not cost.
Practical implications
While internal lean practices can improve operational performance, managers should be aware that internal lean practices are not universally applicable, and the rate of change within an industry should be considered at the time of implementing lean principles.
Originality/value
Much of the lean literature tends to be biased towards its effectiveness. However, empirical evidence shows that not all lean implementation have led to positive results, which has been attributed to the general complexity in the relationship between internal lean practices and performance. We propose to investigate further this relationship by disaggregating operational performance into four of its dimensions, namely quality, delivery, flexibility and cost, and by investigating the possible contingency effect of industry clockspeed.
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Frank Wiengarten, Mark Pagell and Brian Fynes
Although outsourcing has emerged as a key business practice in global supply chain management it has not always been successfully adopted. Since the reasons for outsourcing…
Abstract
Purpose
Although outsourcing has emerged as a key business practice in global supply chain management it has not always been successfully adopted. Since the reasons for outsourcing success and failure are underexplored this research aims to investigate the role of contractual completeness and complementary enforcement practices such as cooperation and monitoring and sanctioning practices under varying risk scenarios. Critically, these relationships are examined in the context of two serious risks: legal risk in the guise of rule of law and supplier non-conformance risk.
Design/methodology/approach
Cross-country, survey data was collected through the global manufacturing research group and combined with secondary data from the World Bank. The authors carried out a series of regression analysis to explore their research questions.
Findings
The results indicate that risk is a critical component of outsourcing success with legal risk reducing outsourcing performance on both cost and quality and supplier risk reducing outsourcing performance on quality. The results also indicate that these outcomes can be mitigated in some settings via complete contracts and complementary practices. These findings are likely to be generalized throughout the supply chain and are of relevance beyond the dyad.
Originality/value
In the realm of supply chain practices this study presents a comprehensive attempt to assess the importance of risk and complementary practices for the success of outsourcing contracts. Furthermore, it assesses the role of contextual factors such as risk and the rule of law.
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Frank Wiengarten, Paul Humphreys, Alan McKittrick and Brian Fynes
The internet and web‐based technologies have enabled the integration of information systems across organisational boundaries in ways that were hitherto impossible. The measurement…
Abstract
Purpose
The internet and web‐based technologies have enabled the integration of information systems across organisational boundaries in ways that were hitherto impossible. The measurement of e‐business (EB) value has been traditionally considered as a single construct. However, the desire to develop a comprehensive understanding of the impact of EB applications from a theoretical perspective has resulted in the modelling of multiple EB constructs. The impact of EB enabled collaboration on operational performance was also investigated. The purpose of this paper is to explore the enabling role of multiple dimensions of EB investigating if all EB applications impact directly and positively on supply chain collaboration.
Design/methodology/approach
A web‐based survey was carried out to collect data within the German automotive industry. Structural equation modelling was conducted to test the measurement and structural model.
Findings
The results provide justification for the modelling of EB in multiple dimensions. Furthermore, some EB applications impacted positively on supply chain collaboration whilst some did not. The results also proved that EB enabled collaboration impacted directly and positively on the multiple dimensions of operational performance tested.
Practical implications
EB applications cannot be viewed by practising managers as being universally beneficial in improving collaboration across a buyer‐supplier boundary. However, the results reveal that, by carefully selecting the most appropriate EB applications, operations improvement benefits can be realised across a range of operational metrics due to enhanced supply chain collaboration.
Originality/value
The deconstruction of EB into multiple constructs will enable the measurement of EB value to be more accurately assessed. Furthermore, the direct impact of EB‐enabled collaboration to facilitate interaction and integration and its impact on operational performance adds to the body of knowledge within the larger research field of supply chain collaboration.
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Roberto Chavez, Brian Fynes, Cristina Gimenez and Frank Wiengarten
The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of industry clockspeed on the relationship between supply chain management (SCM) practices, from both upstream and downstream…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of industry clockspeed on the relationship between supply chain management (SCM) practices, from both upstream and downstream sides of the supply chain, and SCM performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on a questionnaire sent to manufacturing companies in the Republic of Ireland. The relationships between the constructs are analysed through regression analysis.
Findings
The results suggest that the relationship between SCM practices and SCM performance is not monotonic across varying levels of industry clockspeed. Although mixed support was found for the hypothesized relationships, this research contributes considerably to the theoretical development of the contingency view in the SCM literature.
Practical implications
Managers should be aware that the rate of change in their industries can affect the way SCM practices across the supply chain impact on SCM performance.
Originality/value
The literature review has shown that empirical studies which address the relationship between SCM practices and SCM performance provide mixed results. One possible explanation lies in the contingency theory. This paper contributes to the theoretical development of the contingency view in the SCM literature by showing that industry clockspeed affects the way SCM practices impact on SCM performance.
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