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Article
Publication date: 4 August 2022

Anup Kumar, Santosh Kumar Shrivastav and Subhajit Bhattacharyya

This study proposes a methodology based on data source triangulation to measure the “strategic fit” for the automotive supply chain.

Abstract

Purpose

This study proposes a methodology based on data source triangulation to measure the “strategic fit” for the automotive supply chain.

Design/methodology/approach

At first, the authors measured the responsiveness of the Indian automobile supply chain, encompassing the top ten major automobile manufacturers, using both sentiment and conjoint analysis. Second, the authors used data envelopment analysis to identify the frontiers of their supply chain. The authors also measured the supply chain's efficiency, using the balance sheet. Further, the authors analyzed the “strategic fit” zone and discussed the results.

Findings

The results indicate that both the proposed methods yield similar outcomes in terms of strategic fitment.

Practical implications

The study outcomes facilitate measuring the strategic fit, thereby leveraging the resources available to align. The methodology proposed is both easy to use and practice. The methodology eases time and costs by eliminating hiring agencies to appraise the strategic fit. This valuable method to measure strategic fit can be considered feedback for strategic actions. This methodology could also be incorporated possibly as an operative measurement and control tool.

Originality/value

Data triangulation meaningfully enhances the accuracy and reliability of the analyses of strategic fit. Data triangulation leads to actionable insights relevant to top managers and strategic positioning of top managers within a supply chain.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 72 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 May 2021

Joanne Jung-Eun Yoo and Meehee Cho

As the event industry is supported by a wide range of suppliers that provide different products and services, all these partners in the supply chain can play a crucial role in…

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Abstract

Purpose

As the event industry is supported by a wide range of suppliers that provide different products and services, all these partners in the supply chain can play a crucial role in green practices. The industry needs to have a sufficient degree of supply chain flexibility to cater to the demands in today’s dynamic environment and the flexibility in the supply chain will help event businesses to be sustainable. This study aims to explore the role of the supply chain flexibility fit between event planner’s requirements and supplier offerings on the implementation of green practices. The study also attempted to provide insights into the adoption of green event practices by identifying the moderating roles of green organization image and public pressure.

Design/methodology/approach

Data analysis was conducted based on 207 useable responses from event planners. Polynomial regression and response surface analysis were performed to verify the hypothesized relationships. Additionally, hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the moderating effects of green organization image and public pressure on the proposed relationships.

Findings

Results revealed that product flexibility fit was positively related to green practices; however, such effect was not found in the volume flexibility fit model. Findings also showed that public pressure significantly improved the positive effect of product flexibility fit on green practices. However, the green organization image was found to have no significant moderating effect.

Practical implications

The adoption of green practices requires well-designed collaboration among supply chain partners. This study offers empirical evidence regarding the importance of achieving product flexibility fit between event planners’ requirements and supplier offerings when conducting green practices. The findings provide useful implications that can be applied for successful green event management.

Originality/value

Despite the significance and relevance of the topic, barely any study has been conducted to assess supply chain flexibility and its relationship with green event practices. The study adopted resource orchestration theory to examine the role of supply chain flexibility on green event practices by focusing on the planner-supplier flexibility fit. A number of implications regarding supply chain management and future research are identified.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 33 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 June 2019

Emmelie Gustafsson, Patrik Jonsson and Jan Holmström

In retail, product fitting is a critical operational practice. For many products, the operational outcome of the retail supply chain is determined by the customer physically…

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Abstract

Purpose

In retail, product fitting is a critical operational practice. For many products, the operational outcome of the retail supply chain is determined by the customer physically fitting products. Digital product fitting is an emerging operational practice in retail that uses digital models of products and customers to match product supply to customer requirements. This paper aims to explore potential supply chain outcomes of digitalizing the operational practice of product fitting. The purpose is to explore and propose the potential of the practice to improve responsiveness to customer requirements and the utilization of existing variety in mass-produced products.

Design/methodology/approach

A maturity model of product fitting is developed to specify three levels of digitalization and potential outcomes for each level. Potential outcomes are developed based on empirical data from a case survey of three technology-developing companies, 13 retail cases and a review of academic literature.

Findings

With increasing maturity of digital product fitting, the practice can be used for more purposes. Besides matching product supply to customer demand, the practice can improve material flows, customer relationship management, assortment planning and product development. The practice of digital product fitting is most relevant for products where the final product configuration is difficult to make to order, product and customer attributes are easily measurable and tacit knowledge of customers and products can be formalized using digital modeling.

Research limitations/implications

Potential outcomes are conceptualized and proposed. Further research is needed to observe actual outcomes and understand the mechanisms for both proposed and surprising outcomes in specific contexts.

Practical implications

The maturity model helps companies assess how their operations can benefit from digital product fitting and the efforts required to achieve beneficial outcomes.

Originality/value

This paper is a first attempt to describe the potential outcomes of introducing digital product fitting in retail supply chains.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 24 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 September 2019

Yasmine Sabri

The purpose of this paper is to develop exploratory propositions and a conceptual framework on the interaction between organisational structure (decision-making centralisation and…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop exploratory propositions and a conceptual framework on the interaction between organisational structure (decision-making centralisation and internal coordination) and the relationship between supply chain fit and firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a case study, two corporate groups with distinctive organisational structures were examined; both are undergoing a critical moment of changes to their top management and are reshaping their corporate and supply chain strategies. Data on decision-making centralisation, internal coordination mechanisms, supply, demand and innovation uncertainties, and supply chain strategies were collected from key respondents.

Findings

The analysis conducted suggests the need to consider the joint interaction between organisational structure and supply chain fit in offsetting the implications of a potential misfit on firm performance. Furthermore, the context sensitivity of a supply chain is often overlooked, hence simply modifying supply chain strategy does not necessarily lead to a variation in firm performance.

Practical implications

This research is of particular importance to most organisations in the testing times of uncertainty in the global landscape. It guides supply chain practitioners to better understand which elements of the organisational structure interact with the uncertainty of supply, demand and innovation.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first to investigate the interaction between elements of organisational structure and supply chain fit and identify decision-making centralisation and coordination as the internal uncertainty factors that are most relevant to supply chain fit research. A conceptual framework has been built for future testing, in which the organisational structure moderates the relationship between supply chain fit and firm performance.

Details

The International Journal of Logistics Management, vol. 30 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-4093

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 November 2016

Ben Nanfeng Luo and Kangkang Yu

The purpose of this paper is to compare the effects on performance of two types of misfits (overfit vs underfit) as well as two types of fits (high-high fit vs low-low fit

1106

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare the effects on performance of two types of misfits (overfit vs underfit) as well as two types of fits (high-high fit vs low-low fit) between environmental uncertainty and supply chain flexibility.

Design/methodology/approach

The two asymmetry hypotheses have been tested with survey data from 212 Chinese manufacturing firms.

Findings

The results in general provided empirical evidences for the asymmetric effects in the fits and misfits between environmental uncertainty and supply chain flexibility. For the same degree of misfit, underfit deteriorates performance more than overfit. In addition, high supply chain flexibility fitting high environmental uncertainty (i.e. high-high fit) results in a higher performance than low supply chain flexibility fitting low environmental uncertainty (i.e. low-low fit).

Practical implications

It suggests that managers should strive to avoid the underfit of supply chain flexibility rather than the overfit, if the perfect fit is impossible to achieve. In addition, as it is beneficial to realize the fit of supply chain flexibility to high levels of environmental uncertainty, managers should probably embrace the highly uncertain environment and enhance the supply chain flexibility of their organizations to meet the increasing uncertainty of environment.

Originality/value

Fit and misfit are the core concepts to understand the relationships among environmental uncertainty, supply chain flexibility strategy, and performance. While the existing literature highlights the differential performance consequences of fit vs misfit between environmental uncertainty and supply chain flexibility strategy, the effects on performance are assumed to be the same for the two types of misfits, and two types of fits. The authors challenge these symmetry assumptions by arguing that overfit has a less negative effect on performance than underfit, and high-high fit has a stronger positive effect than low-low fit. The authors found empirical evidence in a large sample of Chinese manufacturing firms.

Details

The International Journal of Logistics Management, vol. 27 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-4093

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 May 2011

Gunjan Soni and Rambabu Kodali

This paper aims to explore the state of strategic fit between “competitive strategy” (CS) and “supply chain strategy” (SCS) in the Indian manufacturing industry by investigating

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the state of strategic fit between “competitive strategy” (CS) and “supply chain strategy” (SCS) in the Indian manufacturing industry by investigating the mediating role of supply chain strategy between competitive strategy and performance of company/supply chain.

Design/methodology/approach

This aim is accomplished by using a survey questionnaire that was answered by 185 respondents from various sectors of Indian manufacturing industry. These sectors included automobile, electrical and electronics, process, machinery, textile, food, aviation and footwear sectors. The state of strategic fit is explored based on research framework of “matrix of strategic fit”.

Findings

The major findings revealed existence of a causal relationship between CS and SCS with CS as independent variable and SCS as dependent variable. It was also found that choice of CS and SCS affects business and supply chain performance. The other finding was establishment of the existence of strategic fit in Indian manufacturing industry, which was explained by analyzing the interaction effect between CS and SCS. It was also found that a major hurdle in implementing SCM practices in Indian manufacturing industry is “overcoming traditional practices”.

Originality/value

Indian manufacturing industry is growing by leaps and bounds, but to date there is no study that has explored the mediation effect of supply chain strategy between competitive strategy and performance in India. This paper provides a research framework to study and assess these dimensions of strategy on “matrix of strategic fit”.

Details

Measuring Business Excellence, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-3047

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 January 2024

James A. Meurs, Graham H. Lowman, David M. Gligor and Michael J. Maloni

Supply chain has long faced a persistent workforce shortage. To help both organizations and the field create environments that are more conducive to employee retention, the…

Abstract

Purpose

Supply chain has long faced a persistent workforce shortage. To help both organizations and the field create environments that are more conducive to employee retention, the authors investigate the outcomes of supply chain employee trust in their supervisor.

Design/methodology/approach

Applying person-environment fit theory, the authors evaluate the well-established antecedents to trust in supervisor ability, benevolence and integrity (ABI) relative to person-job (P-J) fit and person-vocation (P-V) fit of US supply chain employees.

Findings

Confirmatory factor analysis indicates that ABI is best modeled as dimensions of a second-order formative trust construct rather than as its antecedents. However, PLS-SEM provides somewhat unconvincing support for the impacts of ABI-trust. Instead, qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) delineates that all three ABI dimensions are not always needed for P-J and P-V fit in supply chain. Some employees respond to affective-based (i.e. benevolence) trust and others to cognitive-based (i.e. ability and integrity) trust.

Practical implications

The QCA results offer specific recommendations for supply chain organizations to enhance employee trust in supervisors to succeed in the struggle for labor.

Originality/value

The results counter extant trust theory, encouraging scholars to consider ABI as distinct dimensions of trust. The study also demonstrates the importance of considering QCA in supply chain research to meaningfully expand contributions to theory and practice.

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 54 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 June 2011

Chang‐yen Tsai and Chengli Tien

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the strategic fit of supply chains and the formulation of future strategies.

1200

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the strategic fit of supply chains and the formulation of future strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

This study focuses on Taiwanese investments in China and offers models based mainly on the transaction cost theory and the eclectic theory using data surveyed from 1,100 Taiwanese companies in China's Pearl River Delta (PRD) and the Yangtze River Delta (YRD).

Findings

Strategic fit from the perspective of the degree of vertical integration and the degree to which a Taiwanese firm fits in the local supply chain can affect the propensity for strategic change. That is, strategic fits in internalization strategy for vertical integration and in localization strategy for fit in the local supply chain are related to how a firm formulates its future strategies. Industrial factors between technological sectors and non‐technological sectors, and geographical factors between the YRD and the PRD further reveal different levels of significance in the strategic fit‐change relationship.

Originality/value

The paper fills some gaps. First, the study described in the paper examines strategic fit from the supply chain perspective to fill the knowledge gap regarding the significance of strategic fit in a supply chain and its impact on strategic change. To deal with the multi‐dimensionality of strategic fit, this study attributes to evidence of multiple perspectives. Second, the study extends the industrial effect and the geographic effect on the strategic fit‐change relationship. Third, the evidence‐based findings provide academia, business practitioners and government agencies with evidence regarding foreign direct investment strategies from supply chain perspectives.

Details

Chinese Management Studies, vol. 5 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-614X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 January 2015

Ville Hallavo

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the moderating effect of uncertainty impacts the relationship of operational responsiveness and firm performance. Research on the…

2402

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the moderating effect of uncertainty impacts the relationship of operational responsiveness and firm performance. Research on the relationship of supply chain fit and firm performance is discussed in isolation in different streams of research – such as in studies on responsiveness, agility, flexibility, efficiency and lean – without promptly recognising cross-stream contributions. This, at worst, prevents theory development. Therefore, the authors build a synthesis of literature from these streams. Grounded in the synthesis, a well-positioned empirical study that uses best research practices of past studies on the phenomenon is presented.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey sample of 875 Russian manufacturing firms was analysed with hierarchical regression.

Findings

The findings show that operational responsiveness leads to superior organisational performance if the relationship is moderated by uncertainty and supply chain responsiveness. Additionally, a direct relationship between operational responsiveness and operational performance was found. These results imply that efficiency is a precursor to responsiveness.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the unification of practice–performance studies on lean, agility, flexibility, efficiency and responsiveness into a single stream of research: supply chain fit. The empirical results support contingency theory in the context of supply chain design. This paper also contributes by shedding light on supply chain dynamics of an under-researched national context. For managers, this paper offers concrete advice on decision-making regarding supply chain strategy trade-offs.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 20 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 July 2023

Tillmann Boehme, Joshua Fan, Thomas Birtchnell, James Aitken, Neil Turner and Eric Deakins

Delivering housing to resource-constrained communities (RCCs) is a complex process beset with difficulties. The purpose of this study is to use a complexity lens to examine the…

Abstract

Purpose

Delivering housing to resource-constrained communities (RCCs) is a complex process beset with difficulties. The purpose of this study is to use a complexity lens to examine the approach taken by a social enterprise (SE) in Australia to develop and manage a housebuilding supply chain for RCCs.

Design/methodology/approach

The research team used a longitudinal case study approach from 2017 to 2022, which used mixed methods to understand the phenomenon and gain an in-depth understanding of the complex issues and problem-solving undertaken by an SE start-up.

Findings

Balancing mission logic with commercial viability is challenging for an SE. The supply chain solution that evolved accommodated the particulars of geography and the needs of many stakeholders, including the end-user community and government sponsors. Extensive and time-consuming socialisation and customisation led to a successful technical design and sustainable supply chain operation.

Practical implications

Analysing supply chain intricacies via a complexity framework is valuable for scholars and practitioners, assisting in designing and developing supply chain configurations and understanding their dynamics. Meeting the housing construction needs of RCCs requires the SE to place societal focus at the centre of the supply chain rather than merely being a system output. The developed business model complements the engineering solution to empower a community-led housing construction supply chain.

Originality/value

This longitudinal case study contributes to knowledge by providing rich insights into the roles of SEs and how they develop and operate supply chains to fit with the needs of RCCs. Adding a contextual response dimension to an established complexity framework helped to explain how hybrid organisations balance commercial viability demands with social mission logic by amending traditional supply chain and governance practices. The case provides insights into supply chain configuration, needed changes and potential impacts when an SE as a focal actor inserts into a traditional for-profit construction supply chain.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 29 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

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