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1 – 10 of over 47000Anurodhsingh Khanuja and Rajesh Kumar Jain
This paper aims to establish a relationship between supply chain integration (SCI) and supply chain flexibility (SCF) to develop a two-dimensional approach, i.e. integrated…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to establish a relationship between supply chain integration (SCI) and supply chain flexibility (SCF) to develop a two-dimensional approach, i.e. integrated flexibility.
Design/methodology/approach
Building on a relational view and dynamic capability theory, this paper argues that integrated flexibility is the strategy that enables organisations to achieve different positions and states to create distinctive capability. The article has proposed the conceptual framework that connects different supply chain strategies and practices to improve supply chain performance (SCP) considering the cross-disciplinary approach.
Findings
The conceptual framework around the new perspective, i.e. integrated flexibility, is built to deal with issues related to operations management. The paper suggests examining the mediating effect of SCF between SCI and SCP and the moderating role of knowledge management (KM), data analytics (DA) and quality management (QM) practices on their relationship. Moreover, research direction in terms of propositions and implications are developed to showcase how underlying practices streamline the supply chain and lead to superior SCP.
Practical implications
The proposed framework discusses the degree of integration and flexibility levels to guide practitioners in designing a supply chain strategy with their partners and answering how much resources need to be extended to achieve flexible operations and realise SCP.
Originality/value
Authors have developed an entirely new integrated flexibility concept that provides a base to sustain in the competitive market. The foundation of integrated flexibility is built on relational view and dynamic capability theory and supported by DA, QM and KM.
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Stilian Stanev, Hardy Krappe, Hischam Abul Ola, Konstantinos Georgoulias, Nikolaos Papakostas, George Chryssolouris and Jivka Ovtcharova
The purpose of this article is to introduce an innovative methodology to support manufacturing changes in the foundation of flexibility measurements and evaluations and to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to introduce an innovative methodology to support manufacturing changes in the foundation of flexibility measurements and evaluations and to integrate this in the companies' internal as well as companies' cross‐organisational processes of change management.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach consists of two phases: first, a consistent systematics for the production systems flexibility evaluation is presented; second, the change processes are analysed and quantified flexibility indicators are integrated to support the decision – making process.
Findings
The application of the methodology in manufacturing environments has demonstrated that consideration of flexibility in the production and its integration into the manufacturing change processes has a great potential.
Originality/value
The originality of this work is in the integrated approach to consider flexibility as support for the change management. In particular the integration of quantified flexibility measurements into the change processes comes out to be the real innovation of the project.
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James M.J. Cheng, John E.L. Simmons and ames M. Ritchie
Flexibility is widely recognized, in research literature and in more popular publications, as being of crucial importance in manufacturing. However, there is evidence of confusion…
Abstract
Flexibility is widely recognized, in research literature and in more popular publications, as being of crucial importance in manufacturing. However, there is evidence of confusion among the numerous definitions of flexibility and it is arguable that, even now, the concept is not well understood. Furthermore, there is no simple approach for the systematic incorporation of flexibility level by level within the hierarchy of a conventional manufacturing system. Introduces a unifying and simple set of concepts for flexibility from a management perspective. The purpose of this “capability and capacity” approach is to interpret and integrate various types of flexibility throughout the manufacturing system. Use of this approach leads to four important principles for the integration of a system’s overall flexibility. Analyses flexibility types within manufacturing using the proposed approach.
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The study aims to examine the impact of three types of supply chain integration (SCI) on supply chain flexibility (SCF), investigate the impact of SCF on supply chain performance…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to examine the impact of three types of supply chain integration (SCI) on supply chain flexibility (SCF), investigate the impact of SCF on supply chain performance (SCP) and analyse the indirect impact of SCI on SCP by considering the mediating role of SCF within the manufacturing sector of Jordan.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a quantitative approach to validate the study model. An online self-completed questionnaire was used to gather data from 219 participants from managers in various Jordanian manufacturing firms. SmartPLS software was used to perform structural equation modelling to test the formulated hypotheses.
Findings
Based on the findings of the study, firms in Jordan's manufacturing sector would benefit from developing an integrative and flexible supply chain to boost SCP in the present volatile, uncertain, complex and speculative market. In addition, SCP was significantly influenced by investments in supply chain management practices related to SCI and SCF. Moreover, SCF significantly moderated the relationship between SCI and SCP. Thus, SCI and SCF assisted firms in reaching their highest potential performance through increased productivity, decreased expenses and increased satisfaction of their customers.
Research limitations/implications
The study employed a cross-sectional design using SCF as a single construct. Future research should look into the specific type of SCFs that have an immense effect on SCP and how these types are affected by the three types of SCI. Furthermore, future research ought to employ probability sampling techniques to improve the generalizability of results or using a longitudinal data-collection design. Finally, additional research should be conducted to validate the findings of this study by replicating it in other specific industries or countries.
Originality/value
The study fills an identified gap based on previous studies by exploring the linkages between SCI, SCF and SCP in the context of manufacturing sector. Moreover, based on the relational view theory, the study proposed an assessment mechanism for SCP for firms based on the link between three types of SCI and SCF.
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As manufacturing gets ever more competitive, integration will come to beseen as a means whereby performance can be improved while flexibilityis, at the same time, also being…
Abstract
As manufacturing gets ever more competitive, integration will come to be seen as a means whereby performance can be improved while flexibility is, at the same time, also being enhanced. Takes a fundamental look at the concept of integration to determine its essential properties. It is expected that this will lead to a better understanding of the concept, and also to applications in manufacturing environments which might ultimately lead to a full realization of computer integrated manufacturing (CIM).
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Andrea Friedrich, Rüdiger Kabst, Wolfgang Weber and Maria Rodehuth
This article raises the question of to what extent functional flexibility is an operatively designed approach with which European companies confront current short‐term changes in…
Abstract
This article raises the question of to what extent functional flexibility is an operatively designed approach with which European companies confront current short‐term changes in their environment, and whether functional flexibility is integrated into long‐term human resource strategies. The proposition is tested that organisations with a strategic human resource management in the sense of a coordinated, objective‐oriented personnel management pattern, show a higher probability of using job rotation than organisations lacking a strategic‐oriented human resource management approach.
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Che Khairil Izam Che Ibrahim, Seosamh B. Costello and S. Wilkinson
Team integration is a concept that has been widely fostered in alliances as a way of improving collaborative relationships between diverse organisations. However, deeper insights…
Abstract
Purpose
Team integration is a concept that has been widely fostered in alliances as a way of improving collaborative relationships between diverse organisations. However, deeper insights into the practice of high levels of team integration remain elusive. The purpose of this paper is to develop a deeper understanding of team integration through the “lived experience” of practitioners in an alliance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed a qualitative research methodology. Using a phenomenological examination, via the lived experiences of 24 alliance practitioners, the practice of alliance team integration has been investigated based on the key indicators that foster alliance team integration: team leadership, trust and respect, single team focus on project objectives and key results areas, collective understanding, commitment from project alliance board, single and co-located alliance team, and free flow communication.
Findings
The findings highlight that alliancing gives the project teams’ flexibility to change and adapt, to advance the collaborative environment and that successful integration of multi-disciplinary project teams requires commitment to the identified indicators. These findings have led to the development of a framework of leadership for successful alliance integrated practices. It is proposed that to influence the leadership for the purpose of achieving successful integration practice, a team-centric approach is required which includes four elements: task and relationship-oriented behaviours; collaborative learning environments; cultivating cross-boundary networks; and collaborative governance.
Practical implications
As team integration is the central tenet of alliance projects, greater understanding regarding the leadership of integration practice is of value in leveraging the benefits of outstanding performance. Also, the results of the study are expected to be informative and provide insight for alliance teams to help them proactively recognise how the context of integrated teams is influenced by specific indicators, impacting on the extent of integration practice.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the current body of knowledge concerning the insights from the “lived experience” of alliance teams towards achieving a greater understanding of what contributes to the leadership of successful integration practices.
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Quah Hock Soon and Zulkifli Mohamed Udin
The purpose of this paper is to investigate supply chain management practices related to flexibility, value chain and capabilities. It describes an exploratory study to examine…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate supply chain management practices related to flexibility, value chain and capabilities. It describes an exploratory study to examine the interrelated factors to propose a research framework.
Design/methodology/approach
A comparative case study was conducted on several manufacturing organizations in the electrical and electronic industry, investigating the business drivers and response effect of a flexible value chain.
Findings
In general, all the organizations enhanced their manufacturing flexibility components with supply and logistic networks in order to be responsive to customers and gain tangible benefits. The core flexibility of the value chain can be defined from operational, supply and logistics perspectives where different levels of integration and implementation strategies offer different levels of flexibility response to volume and product mix.
Research limitations/implications
Research through case survey requires further empirical investigation to quantify the determinants and the significance of the relationship theorized. However, the findings confirmed the practical aspect of manufacturers to consider flexibility in designing their value chain within the industry.
Originality/value
The paper highlights the fact that local manufacturers value the flexibility aspect of supply chains to stay competitive during demand uncertainties and being responsive to customers.
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So far, the author lacks a comprehensive definition of military supply chain (SC) flexibility, as well as performance measures to evaluate it. This paper aims to address these…
Abstract
Purpose
So far, the author lacks a comprehensive definition of military supply chain (SC) flexibility, as well as performance measures to evaluate it. This paper aims to address these gaps. It seeks to develop performance measures to assess the flexibility of a military SC.
Design/methodology/approach
Volume flexibility is measured as the coefficient of variation of the demand quantity. Delivery side is measured in two stages using two ratios: customer satisfaction ratio and delivery flexibility ratio.
Findings
Building on the flexibility literature, novel performance measures were developed to assess the volume flexibility (the ability to change the level of moved products) and delivery flexibility (the ability to meet short lead times).
Research limitations/implications
This study characterizes the behaviour of a military SC by focusing on the volume and delivery sides. Efficiency, for example, is not within the scope of this analysis.
Practical implications
The results of this paper could serve as a means to compare between SCs with drastically different sizes.
Originality/value
This paper presents a novel ways to examine the flexibility of a military distribution process. The developed measures of flexibility are relevant, simple, dimensionless, and action-oriented.
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Anurodhsingh Khanuja and Rajesh Kumar Jain
Supply chain integration (SCI) and flexibility (SCF) are recognised as crucial business practices and capability in the global competitive market. However, limited research has…
Abstract
Purpose
Supply chain integration (SCI) and flexibility (SCF) are recognised as crucial business practices and capability in the global competitive market. However, limited research has paid attention to study the relationship between SCI, SCF and their impact on supply chain performance (SCP). Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to establish a relationship between integration, flexibility and performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The structural equation modelling technique was used to analyse the 187 data collected from Indian organisations through the survey methodology.
Findings
Findings indicate that external integration contributes significantly to realise SCF and SCP. Sourcing and logistics flexibility also help to improve the SCP. The mediation analysis showed that the association of customer and supplier integration with SCP is partially and fully mediated by logistics flexibility, respectively. This study suggests that integration influences the SCP when the firm has a strong association with downstream partners and enough capability for logistics flexibility.
Research limitations/implications
The study has collected cross-sectional data to analyse the relationship between SCI, SCF and SCP. However, as integration requires an effort of the years, longitudinal data and industry-specific studies may provide comprehensive views to validate the results of this study.
Originality/value
Building on relational view theory and dynamic capability theory, the study has proposed the SCP assessment framework based on the relationship between SCI and SCF.
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