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The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of interpersonal relationships (IPRs) in service supply chain integration (SSCI) in terms of strategic alliance, information integration, and process integration.

The research employs an exploratory/investigational approach to multiple case studies and empirically investigates effects of IPRs in SSCI. The data were mainly collected through semi-structured interviews with senior management staff from four service companies and their suppliers or customers in New Zealand. Archival data from the Internet and company documentations were also applied.

The authors find that three dimensions of IPRs influence SSCI in different ways. The effect of IPRs on SSCI is indirect: personal affection acts as an initiator, and personal credibility works as a “gate-keeper” and strengthens the confidence of interactive partners, while personal communication, a facilitator, plays a more important role in SSCI than personal affection and credibility.

The research provides managers in service supply chains the awareness of the importance of IPRs, as well as the characteristics of IPRs, in order to best utilize available resources. Managers should synergize all three dimensions of IPRs’ resources: make efforts to cultivate personal affection to avoid the instinctive isolation modern technology brings; attempt to accumulate positive personal credibility profiles; focus more on the role of personal communication and retain physical contact in SSCI processes.

This study contributes to SSCI literature by extending from the inter-organizational relationships (IORs) to interpersonal level relationships to explore the inner influence mechanism. Also, it explores the role of IPRs on all three dimensions of SSCI simultaneously rather than individual dimensions independently. Finally, it contributes to resource orchestration theory (ROT) by synthesizing three dimensions of IPRs resources, and IORs resources in order to achieve capabilities of SSCI. The study develops the individual-level research in supply chain integration (SCI) to a further depth.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the key drivers and challenges to supply chain collaboration in the humanitarian sector; to appraise the relationships between international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) and local non-governmental organizations (LNGOs) during disaster relief; and to explore the humanitarian context in regard to supply chain collaboration.

Literature from both the commercial and humanitarian sectors is discussed in the context of vertical partnerships. A Jordanian study spanning a network of 26 international and LNGOs is explored via semi-structured interviews.

The research provides valuable insights on the challenges facing LNGOs and INGOs when developing partnerships. Contextual factors, including host governmental policies and the social-economic setting of a disaster directly affect the motivations for supply chain collaboration between LNGOs and INGOs.

The research is built on interviewees with 30 humanitarian professionals working in one country during an extended crisis. The majority of the empirical data are only from one actor’s perspective, thus further research into dyadic and network relationships is required. Approaches to addressing the diverse cultural and decision-making perspectives of LNGOs and INGOs warrant further investigation.

Recognizing the motives and challenges to vertical partnerships between LNGOs and INGOs will assist the managers, both at the strategic and operational levels, to find solutions and evolve strategies to build effective partnerships. Compromise and consideration for partner’s drivers and cultural views are essential for effective joint humanitarian relief initiatives.

This paper extends supply chain collaboration to a humanitarian context. Overcoming the challenges facing collaborative efforts and complementary nature of the drivers provide a means to achieve effective partnerships. Despite the uniqueness of the humanitarian context, such as the secondary nature of cost and dynamic demand, the core principles of collaboration still hold.

Social network perspective to interorganizational relations focuses on the effect of organizations’ external relationships in collaboration as opposed to their internal resources and capabilities. It presumes that effectively managing such relationships is vital to gaining collaborative synergies. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the growing interest in the social network perspective to explain supply chain collaboration.

Literature from the network field is discussed in the context of interorganizational collaboration. A logistics service provider’s network is explored in depth leading to the inductive construction of a multi-level model of social network collaboration.

The conceptual model provides a useful lens to evaluate supply chain collaboration. The symbiotic relationship between interorganizational and interpersonal networks is highlighted as vital for effective collaboration.

The conceptual model has only been developed from a single network. Wider application is required to ensure generalizability. The critical role of the personal networks of boundary spanning actors at different levels wants further investigation.

Partners’ intra-organizational structures and personal ties of boundary spanners, both at the senior and operational level, have a profound effect on supply chain operations.

Personal networks interact with organizational networks and complement each other in yielding interfirm collaborative synergies.

The objective of this research is to model supply chain network resilience for low frequency high impact disruptions. The outputs are aimed at providing policy and practitioner guidance on ways to enhance supply chain resilience.

The research models the resilience of New Zealand's log export logistical network. A two-tier approach is developed; linear programming is used to model the aggregate-level resilience of the nation's ports, then discrete event simulation is used to evaluate operational constraints and validate the capacity of operational flows from forests to ports.

The synthesis of linear programming and discrete event simulation provide a holistic approach to evaluate supply chain resilience and enhance operational efficiency. Strategically increasing redundancy can be complimented with operational flexibility to enhance network resilience in the long term.

The two-tier modelling approach has only been applied to New Zealand's log export supply chains, so further applications are needed to insure reliability. The requirement for large quantities of empirical data relating to operational flows limited the simulation component to a single region

New Zealand's log export supply chain has low resilience; in most cases the closure of a port significantly constrains export capacity. Strategic selection of location and transportation mode by foresters and log exporters can significantly enhance the resilience of their supply chains.

The use of a two-tiered analytical approach enhances validity as each level's limitations and assumptions are addressed when combined with one another. Prior predominantly theoretical research in the field is validated by the empirical investigation of supply chain resilience.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how managers perceive risks associated with sharing information with trading partners, and how they attempt to mitigate them.

In this exploratory New Zealand study, qualitative research was conducted involving semi-structured interviews with boundary spanning managers who are responsible for inter-organizational interfaces. Multiple case studies in different industries are used to highlight managers’ perceptions of risks in data exchange process throughout the supply network, and their underlying reasoning.

Managers perceive several types of risks when exchanging information across external supply chain interfaces, and adopt different approaches to handling them. The research also reinforces the vital role played by interpersonal relationships and trust as key enablers of inter-organizational cooperation.

The findings are based on a small sample of 11 case companies based in a single New Zealand province, thereby potentially restricting generalizability. Future work could usefully extend the sample size in order to investigate the correlations between firm sizes, levels of trust, and degrees of data integration within particular industry sectors.

The findings will help managers understand and evaluate different types of risks in the data exchange process, and enable them to make better decisions that enhance information sharing and supply chain performance.

Perceived information sharing risks are peculiar to the individual actors, and as such need to be mitigated through changes to their socially constructed perceptions. This work extends the literature on understanding the various dimensions of inter-organizational information sharing.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how interpersonal relationships (IPRs) and inter-organisational relationships (IORs) interact with each other as driving forces of supply chain integration (SCI). More specifically (the) three dimensions of IPR – personal affection, personal credibility, and personal communication – are examined in regards to how they affect inter-organisational relationships during SCI.

The research employed an exploratory multiple case study approach with four New Zealand case companies selected as the empirical basis. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews of managerial executives in relation to supply chain activities, which were triangulated with company archival data.

The authors found that IPRs are able to interact with IORs to influence the integration of supply chains. More specifically, IPRs influence IORs by initiating organisational relationships in the SCI context; and influences from IPR dimensions on IORs tend to be of differing magnitudes and have different evolutional paths across the whole SCI process.

This research contributes to knowledge about the roles and mechanisms through which IPRs shape and enable inter-organisational level relationships within the SCI context.

Modern day market places are highly varied and cannot be serviced effectively by a single supply chain paradigm. Consequently products and services must be provided to the end consumer via tailored supply chain strategies. This article categorises consumer products and details the specific supply chain management tools and techniques required to service each. A comparison of lean and agile strategies is provided along with a detailed explanation of the integration of the two within a Leagile supply chain. The application of such a strategy for electronic products is provided via a four stage case study. A route map for engineering supply chains to match customer requirements is developed in order to avoid costly and ineffective mismatches of supply chain strategy to product characteristics.

This paper aims to provide an answer to the important question of how can accurate assessment of supply chain practice and performance be conducted? By conducting audits across a sample of value streams it is thereby possible to identify the components of “good practice” via evidence‐based procedures.

Quick scan audit methodology (QSAM) is a site‐based, team‐oriented action research‐led investigative technique for establishing meaningful “snapshots” of value stream behaviour. The participants cover both academic researchers and host organisation staff.

QSAM is found to output repeatable results enabling the transfer of technique between companies, between businesses, between market sectors, and between countries.

Care must be taken when training new auditors and QSAM teams to ensure the required degree of consistency. There is no substitute for operating a “watch one, share one, do one” regimen.

The research purpose is to establish the performance vectors to enable effective value stream health comparisons to be made. Additionally “quick hits” (not “quick fixes”) may well be identified specific to an individual host organisation.

QSAM has already made an important contribution in enabling the gap between case‐based and survey‐based logistics research to be properly bridged.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the appropriateness of using the 12 previously published material flow simplicity rules (SRs) to shape the successful design and implementation of improvements in a casting company product delivery process (PDP).

The business process improvement (BPI) project described in this case study was actively supported by the UK knowledge transfer partnership initiative. Hence, the outcome in terms of gain in the key performance indicators has been subjected to close and independent scrutiny. The dynamics of process change observed (and displayed on the factory floor) can thereby be exploited as signatures showing actual rates of improvement. It is then straightforward to highlight the qualitative impact of SR relevance to the likely outcomes.

The 12 SRs were originally posited based on published research (particularly by Jay Forrester and Jack Burbidge) and many others. This case study independently tests their detailed application in one specific environment.

None emerged during this case study. Other investigations may subsequently lead to prioritisation of the rules.

On this evidence the 12 material flow SRs are directly relevant and highly effective in the planning and execution of industrial PDP improvement programmes. They provide structure and build confidence during execution of this important task.

The paper has originality and values primarily due to new proven application of a recent published technique for BPI auditing.

The purpose of this paper is to use a systems lens to assess the comparative performance of healthcare supply chains and provide guidance for their improvement.

A well-established and rigorous multi-method audit methodology, based on the uncertainty circle model, yields an objective assessment of value stream performance in eight Australasian public sector hospitals. Cause-effect analysis identifies the major barriers to achieving smooth, seamless flows. Potentially high-leverage remedial actions identified using systems thinking are examined with the aid of an exemplar case.

The majority of the healthcare value streams studied are underperforming compared with those in the European automotive industry. Every public hospital appears to be caught in the grip of vicious circles of system uncertainty, in large part being caused by problems of their own making. The single exception is making good progress towards seamless functional integration, which has been achieved by elevating supply chain management to a core competence; having a clearly articulated supply chain vision; adopting a systems approach; and, managing supplies with accurate information.

The small number of cases limits the generalisability of the findings at this time.

Hospital supply chain managers endeavouring to achieve smooth and seamless supply flows should attempt to elevate the status of supplies management within their organisation to that of a core competence, and should use accurate information to manage their value streams holistically as a set of interwoven processes. A four-level prism model is proposed as a useful framework for thus improving healthcare supply delivery systems.

Material flow concepts originally developed to provide objective assessments of value stream performance in commercial settings are adapted for use in a healthcare setting. The ability to identify exemplar organisations via a context-free uncertainty measure, and to use systems thinking to identify high-leverage solutions, supports the transfer of appropriate best practices even between organisations in dissimilar business and economic settings.