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Supply chain management has received in recent years a great deal of attention by practitioners and academics alike. The benefits that accrue to firms that effectively manage their supply chain partners range from lower costs to higher return on investment (ROI), to higher returns to stockholders. Yet, effective management of one’s supply chain is not easily accomplished. In this paper, we develop this capability as a core skill that will ultimately separate the winners from the losers. We develop the concept of supply chain competence and use learning as a proxy. We explore the pre‐conditions for learning to emerge and the impact of learning on supply chain performance. A number of factors that affect partner‐like behavior also affect learning. Also, learning appears to have a positive impact on performance measures relating to end‐customer satisfaction and being a more market‐focused supply chain. Learning does not appear to affect supply chain performance related to cost.

This article has been withdrawn as it was published elsewhere and accidentally duplicated. The original article can be seen here: 10.1108/13598549810215379. When citing the article, please cite: Robert E. Spekman, John W. Kamauff Jr, Niklas Myhr, (1998), “An empirical investigation into supply chain management: a perspective on partnerships”, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 3 Iss 2 pp. 53 - 67.

States that we have witnessed, over the last several years, a profound change in understanding the dynamics of competitive advantage. Managers now acknowledge that a firm’s success is tied, in part, to the strength of its weakest supply chain partner. This paper develops the concept of supply chain management and argues that only through close collaborative linkages through the entire supply chain, can one fully achieve the benefits of cost reduction and revenue enhancing behaviors. Data are presented that look at a range of supply chain management practices and processes. By examining differences in practices and processes between buyers and sellers, along with the supply chain, attempts to understand better the challenges facing managers who espouse supply chain management. Also proposes a change in mind set for the traditional procurement manager and present insights for him/her to adapt to the requirements of the new competition.

The article examines the supply chain (SC) in a food industry in Bulgaria. The relations between suppliers and the degree of integration of the activities along with the SC will be studied by building forms of partnerships with suppliers and the areas of cooperation they work in. The relevance of the topic is determined by the increasing pressure exerted by the consumers in terms of quality and safety, caused by the scandals with food products, the regulations concerning the traceability along the SC and providing safety and quality. The purpose of the study, in the present paper, is the theoretical and applied aspects of collaboration along the SC and the use of modern information systems and technologies in the food industry in Bulgaria.

The objectives of the study, in the present paper, are the theoretical and applied aspects of collaboration along the SC and the use of modern information systems and technologies in the food industry in Bulgaria. The subjects of this study are the enterprises of the food industry in Bulgaria. The number of companies surveyed is 93. Small and medium-sized enterprises generate 48.7% of the turnover in the industry and 63% of the employment in the sector. A research survey with structured questionnaire was conducted in the period 2018–2019. The interrelations in the SC are underdeveloped and there is a low degree of integration between the participants in the food industry in Bulgaria. The implementation of information and communications technology (ICT) and blockchains in the SC in the food industry in Bulgaria is at a low level.

The subjects of this study are the enterprises of the food industry in Bulgaria. The number of companies surveyed is 93. Small and medium-sized enterprises generate 48.7% of the turnover in the industry and 63% of the employment in the sector. The sectors which are traditionally included in the food industry are as follows: flour milling, milk processing, meat processing, canning industry and production of dried and canned fruit, vegetables and seeds, fishery, production of sugar and confectionery, chocolate and desserts and production of spices. The present research study does not focus on production of drinks, mineral water bottles and production of alcoholic drinks, as well as production of tea and coffee, bread and bakery products. A research survey with structured questionnaire was conducted in the period 2018–2019. The questions included in the questionnaire helped to study general indicators for the evaluation of the degree of cooperation and the implementation of modern ICT in organizations in the food industry. The first part of the questionnaire included questions related to the general information about organizations, which determines the form of ownership, the existence of foreign participation in the enterprise, the number of settlements where the activity is carried out and geographic distribution of sales in the country and abroad. These questions are important to frame a general characteristic of the studied enterprises.

The study had few limitations, which in turn suggest avenues for further research. This study does not include the production of beverages, mineral water bottles and the production of alcoholic beverages as well as tea and coffee production. With regard to the subject of the study, the article focuses mainly on relations between suppliers and the degree of integration of the activities along the SC, which will be studied by building forms of partnerships with suppliers and the areas of cooperation they work in, while remaining outside the scope of the study themes and challenges in making SCs environmentally sustainable. Although a large amount of data were analyzed, there exists an opportunity to widen this study significantly. The possibilities of omnichannels along the SC in the food chain will be explored first as well as the possibilities for building an omnichannel strategy in the food supply chain.

This study provides insights to manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and managers of the food industry for supply chain management (SCM) and for connections and cooperation with suppliers and partners. The research study provides clarity about the degree of integration in the management of SC and the opportunities for development of the cooperation between the SC participants.

This study reveals for the first time the SC in the food industry in Bulgaria and provides directions for development. This study shows the degree of SCM integration as well as the opportunities for developing cooperation between the actors in the chain.

The purpose of this research is to provide a systematic insight into corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate citizenship (CC) in supply chain development, by analyzing the current literature, contemporary concepts, data and gaps for future discipline research.

This research identifies information from existing academic journals and investigates research designs and methods, data analysis techniques, industry involvement and geographic locations. Information regarding university affiliation, publishers, authors, year of publication is also documented. A collection of online databases from 2001 to 2018 were explored, using the keywords “corporate social responsibility”, “corporate citizenship” and “supply chain” in their title and abstract, to deliver an inclusive listing of journal articles in this discipline area. Based on this approach, a total of 164 articles were found, and information on a chain of variables was collected.

There has been visible growth in published articles over the last 18 years regarding supply chain sustainability, CSR and CC. Analysis of the data collected shows that only five literature reviews have been published in this area. Further, key findings include 41% of publications were narrowly focused on four sectors of industry, leaving gaps in the research. 85% centered on the survey and conceptual model, leaving an additional gap for future research. Finally, developing and developed nation status should be delineated, researched and analyzed based on further segmentation of the industry by region.

This research is limited to reviewing only academic and professional articles available from Emerald, Elsevier, Wiley, Sage, Taylor and Francis, Springer, Scopus, JSTOR and EBSCO containing the words “corporate social responsibility”, “corporate citizenship” and “supply chain” in the title and abstract.

This assessment provides an enhanced appreciation of the current practices of current research and offers further directions within the CSR and CC in supply chain sustainable development.

Transaction cost economics is an important anchor for analyzing a wide range of economic and organizational issues and is complemented by various theories, resulting in a perception shift of transaction governance structure from a polar classification toward a continuum (John & Reve, 1982; Heide & Miner, 1992; Hennart, 1993). Despite conceptual framework developments, empirical studies based on the continuum are scarce. This research is an initial effort toward TGS dimensionalization and operationalization and reviews theoretical developments since 1930, surveys empirical studies from 1982 to 2004, presents Williamson’s framework (1991), and proposes a set of items for instrument design.

The purpose of this paper is to conduct a large-sample empirical examination of how intangible supply chain complexity impacts firm performance in light of a firm's organizational structure.

The study uses panel data from 2,580 Indian manufacturing firms and constructs empirical proxy for intangible supply chain complexity, i.e. CHQ distance from major cities. The proposed conceptual model is grounded in the dynamic capability view (DCV) and social network theory (SNT). Multivariate regression analyses are performed to investigate the effect of intangible complexity on firm performance.

Results show that intangible supply chain complexity, as proxied by “CHQ distance from major cities”, negatively affects firm performance and a firm's organizational structure plays an important role in conceiving CHQ locational strategies. Firms with interconnected supply chain and social network (e.g. business group firms) have a higher propensity to locate their CHQs farther away from major cities, and business group firms that have more distantly located CHQs experience better financial performance compared to independent firms (with less network resources).

In light of the supply chain literature and relevant theories, the study conceptualizes intangible supply chain complexity as “CHQ distance from major cities” and deepens our understanding of the relationship between intangible complexity and firm performance in light of organizational structure. Further, it develops an objective understanding of intangible supply chain complexity by relying on secondary panel data.

Employing the notion of balanced growth postulated by competence-based literature, the present study submits that a firm’s growth strategy can be understood as its ability to manage the interplay of building and leveraging existing competence within the business context. The synergistic effects resulting from the creation of a self-reinforcing cycle of competence building and leveraging initiatives then drive the achievement of superior performance. To examine the validity and usefulness of this conception, we conduct a systematic investigation on the strategy-performance link of contract electronics manufacturers based in Taiwan, who have emerged as the competitive global supply base in electronics and computer industries. Empirical results based on a panel of business-level operating data show that while building product-related competence is essential to the contract manufacturer’s achievement of higher profitability, leveraging competence between subcontracting services and own-brand business will significantly enhance both profitability and sale growth. The implications of formulating a sustainable growth strategy for contract manufacturers in the context of horizontally configured industries, and suggestions for future research endeavors on competence-based management are discussed.

Much of the hype associated with the impact of electronic business is associated with the business to business (B2B) model. Analysts believe that enormous cost savings and efficiencies can be achieved through the utilisation of e‐procurement, a component of the B2B model. The role of procurement and the emerging use of large information systems to conduct e‐procurement is analysed and presented with the results of a survey of 38 major Australian organisations. The current direct and indirect procurement practices of the sample organisations will be analysed together with an analysis of the eprocurement drivers and barriers. The main results show that direct procurement is heavily dependant upon traditional practices whilst indirect procurement is more likely to use “e” practices. Small‐medium organisations are more nimble at adopting e‐procurement practices. Technical issues dominate e‐procurement barriers, with cost factors dominating e‐procurement drivers.