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This paper aims to investigate the moderating effects of the role a plant plays in a manufacturing network on the relationships between its level of integration with other plants in the same manufacturing network (referred as “internal manufacturing network integration” in this paper), its interactions with suppliers/customers (referred as “external supply chain integration” in this paper), and its operational performance.

This paper is based on the data from the sixth version of International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS VI). Specifically, this paper uses a subset of the IMSS VI data set from the 606 plants that identified themselves as one of the plants in a manufacturing network.

The results demonstrate plant role has a moderating effect on the relationship between internal manufacturing network integration and external supply chain integration, but not on the relationship between external supply chain integration and operational performance. Our research also highlights that plant role moderates the mediating effect of external supply chain integration on the relationship between internal manufacturing network integration and operational performance. More importantly, it indicates that if a plant wants to significantly increase its operational performance, it will have to strengthen its linkages with supply chain partners, no matter which role it plays in manufacturing network.

This paper supplements the existing research by developing further understandings on the relationship between internal manufacturing network integration, external supply chain integration and operational performance. Specifically, it examines the influence of plant role on such relationship and reveals the essence about in what context (in terms of plant characteristics) internal manufacturing network integration influences the operational performance of a plant in a manufacturing network through external supply chain integration.

This study draws on the systems perspective to study the individual and combined interaction effect of lean management (LM) and sustainability management (SM) on the organization's triple bottom line (TBL) performance.

The study employs structural equation modeling to test the proposed hypotheses using data from the sixth version of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS VI).

The study finds that LM is positively related to all dimensions of the TBL performance. In contrast, SM is positively related to social and environmental performance and negatively related to economic performance. Finally, by finding that the interaction between LM and (SM) is positive for social and environmental performance, this study not only confirms that LM is an enabler for sustainability, but it also supports that the two paradigms are mutually compatible and reinforcing.

The findings imply that practitioners pursuing both LM and SM should leverage their mutual positive effects and balance the unintended effects of implementing isolated bundles by implementing them together as a complete socio-technical system. Their combined impact on the TBL performance will outweigh the sum of their individual effects in the case of isolated implementations.

In contrast with the extant literature, this study proposes that LM and SM make parts of one system as opposed to one correlated with the other or having a positive causal effect on the other. Taking an integrated systems approach, the study empirically verifies the “mutual compatibility” of the lean and sustainability paradigms argument, with regard to their effect on the TBL performance.

The purpose of this paper is to find the driving factors for effective and efficient management of international manufacturing network (IMN) which has become increasingly important due to the intensive competition existing in the manufacturing industry. This paper presents a magnified view of different constructs of IMN and identifies the qualitative factors which are broadly classified under different constructs like political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental.

Principal component analysis is applied to club identified factors into political, economic, social, technological and legal categories. PESTLE–SWOT approach is used to shortlist the identified factors using the elimination algorithm. Using analytical hierarchy process, weightages and rank of the identified factors are evaluated. Interpretive structural modeling is applied to understand inter-relationship among factors, and to analyze the driving power and dependence of the factors.

The results obtained from the above approaches are compared to identify most significant factors and the list of IMN enablers is presented using Venn Diagram. Government stability, Economic freedom, economic stability, environmental sustainability and raw material availability are coming out to be the driving factors across all techniques. Finally, the paper provides weights of the driving indicators common across all multi-criteria decision-making techniques considered.

The proposed work provides significant information about the qualitative factors needed to be considered while designing and developing IMN. As identified by literature review and through expert opinions, not all 29 factors responsible for IMN development are crucial. Many factors are either interdependent or driven by others. The paper provides a useful analysis about the driving factors that need to be taken into account.

The study presents a comprehensive analysis of the IMN enablers. Furthermore, it provides managerial and theoretical implications to deal with the complexities encountered while establishing IMN.

This paper aims to investigate the role of organizational and technological enablers and their arrangement and alignment with the external environment to facilitate supply chain integration (SCI), which consequently improves operational performance.

The paper uses a structural equation modeling approach and the data from 307 manufacturing firms from the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey version VI for hypotheses testing.

The findings of the study reveal that (1) the alignment and particular arrangement of the sociotechnical organizational factors enable the SCI of a firm, (2) suitable organizational arrangements help in leveraging SCI under environmental pressures, and (3) SCI leverages the relationship between sociotechnical organizational factors and operational performance of the firm.

This paper informs managers that SCI leverages the operational performance of firms under heightened environmental pressures. Developing suitable manufacturing technologies infrastructure followed by organizational practices aligned with the manufacturing technologies make it easier to realize SCI.

This study explores the interaction of technological, organizational, and environmental factors as driving and enabling factors that help achieve SCI. Firms that develop an open and collaborative environment and use communication and integrative technologies to complement their work practices better cope with external pressures. These modern forms of working and the use of technologies facilitate SCI and leverage it effectively to positively impact firm performance.

The objective of this research is to investigate the impact of offering product-linked services on the effectiveness of risk management and, subsequently, on financial performance.

The investigation is based on an empirical analysis employing structural equation modeling (SEM) and cross-industry and multi-country survey data of 307 companies. The theorization is guided by the information processing theory (IPT).

Considering the basic and advanced classification of services, the analysis suggests that only the provision of advanced services influences the effectiveness of risk management. Specifically, the provision of advanced services strengthens the preventive dimension of risk management. Surprisingly, the analysis reveals a negative direct impact of preventive risk management on financial performance. Preventive risk management, however, indirectly enhances financial performance by supporting reactive risk management.

For practitioners, the research suggests a positive impact of servitization in a long term rather than in form of instant financial benefits. The research attempts to highlight the specific role of supply chain risk management (SCRM) through which servitization has a positive impact on financial performance.

Although there are assumptions about both reduction and increase in risk when manufacturers offer services, the extant literature lacks an empirical investigation on the association between servitization and the effectiveness of risk management. This study addresses the stated gap and offers novel insights into the role of SCRM in the performance consequences of servitization.

Many factors have been identified that may drive a firm’s decision to offshore production activities. The actual performance effects of offshoring, however, depend on the extent to which these drivers are realized. Furthermore, the question is how risk management helps mitigating the risk involved in offshoring ventures, thus leading to better performance outcomes. The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which realized offshoring drivers and risk management mediate the relationship between offshoring experience and firm performance.

Data from the Global Operations Networks project, a cross-sectional survey administered in Denmark and Sweden, are used to test two hypotheses on the mediating role of realized offshoring drivers and risk management in the relationship between offshoring experience and firm performance. AMOS version 23 is used to perform the analyses.

The results demonstrate that realized offshoring drivers fully mediate the relationship between offshoring experience and firm performance. However, risk management does not mediate the relationship between offshoring experience and firm performance.

This study develops new theory on, and managerial insight into, the mediating role of realized offshoring drivers and risk management in the relationship between offshoring experience and firm performance.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships at the level of plant in a manufacturing network, labelled as networked plant in the paper, between inter-plant coordination and operational performance, supply chain integration (SCI) and operational performance and inter-plant coordination and SCI.

This paper is developed based on the data obtained from the sixth version of International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS VI). Specifically, this paper uses a subset of the IMSS VI data set from the 606 plants that identified themselves as one of the plants in a manufacturing network.

This paper finds that external integration is significantly related to operational performance of networked plant, whereas internal integration is not. As an enabler for external integration, the influence of internal integration on operational performance of networked plant is mediated by external integration. This paper also provides evidence to the purported positive impact of internal integration on inter-plant coordination, as well as the positive impact of inter-plant coordination on external integration. It further suggests that inter-plant coordination can influence operational performance of networked plant through external integration and also mediate the relationship from internal integration to performance through external integration.

This paper contributes to the SCI literature and extends the understanding of the impact of SCI on the operational performance by selecting networked plant as a unit of analysis. Besides, this paper distinguishes inter-plant coordination from SCI and investigates the relationship between inter-plant coordination, SCI, and operational performance for the first time.

The purpose of this paper is to present result obtained from a developed technology selection framework and provide a detailed insight into the risk calculations and their implications in manufacturing technology selection process.

The results illustrated in the paper are the outcome of an action research study that was conducted in an aerospace company.

The paper highlights the role of risk calculations in manufacturing technology selection process by elaborating the contribution of risk associated with manufacturing technology alternatives in the shape of opportunities and threats in different decision‐making environments.

The research quantifies the risk associated with different available manufacturing technology alternatives. This quantification of risk crystallises the process of technology selection decision making and supports an industrial manager in achieving objective and comprehensive decisions regarding selection of a manufacturing technology.

The paper explains the process of risk calculation in manufacturing technology selection by dividing the decision‐making environment into manufacturing and supply chain environment. The evaluation of a manufacturing technology considering supply chain opportunities and threats provides a broader perspective to the technology evaluation process. The inclusion of supply chain dimension in technology selection process facilitates an organisation to select a manufacturing technology not only according to its own requirements, but also according to the interest of its constituent supply chain.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of changes at the manufacturing plant level on other plants in the manufacturing network and also investigate the role of manufacturing plants on the evolution of a manufacturing network.

The research questions are developed by identifying the gaps in the reviewed literature. The paper is based on three case studies undertaken in Danish manufacturing companies to explore in detail their manufacturing plants and networks. The cases provide a sound basis for developing the research questions and explaining the interaction between different manufacturing plants in the network and their impact on network transformation.

The paper highlights the dominant role of manufacturing plants in the continuously changing shape of a manufacturing network. The paper demonstrates that a product or process change at one manufacturing plant affects the other plants in the same network by altering their strategic roles, which leads to the subsequent transformation of the manufacturing network.

A review of the existing literature investigated different elements of a manufacturing network independently. In this paper, the complex phenomenon of a manufacturing network evolution is observed by combining the analysis of a manufacturing plant and network level. The historical trajectories of manufacturing networks that are presented in the case studies are examined in order to understand and determine the future shape of the networks. This study will help industrial managers make more knowledgeable decisions regarding manufacturing network management.

The purpose of this paper is to examine, and present a comprehensive review of, the existing literature on the international manufacturing network (IMN).

The original data set used for reviewing the IMN literature consisted of 107 articles selected from 21 journals: more specifically, 40 articles are concerned with plant-level analysis, and 67 articles are related to IMN-level analysis. The literature is simultaneously reviewed by two researchers. The relevance and contribution of each reviewed paper is discussed and mutually agreed upon.

The paper highlights the different concepts related to IMN and traces the evolution of IMN-related research. Based on two levels of analysis (i.e. plant and network), this paper further reviews and discusses the IMN-specific literature in detail to determine the number of IMN articles published across the journals, the dominant methodologies employed, and the research focus reflected in IMN studies. A research trajectory is finally developed to provide an integrated and intuitional view on the development of IMN research.

This is the first effort that has been made towards thoroughly investigating the existing literature on IMN, aiming to trace different concepts related to IMN from a historical perspective, to review and discuss the IMN-specific literature in detail, to provide an overview of the evolution trajectory of different existing IMN research themes, and to propose future research directions. Keeping in mind the growing importance of IMN for practitioners as well as the academic community, this study provides a timely overview of existing and emerging IMN research themes.