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1 – 10 of over 35000Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to propose a genetic algorithms approach to develop a collaborative supply chain network, i.e. a supply chain network with genetic algorithms embedded (GA‐SCN), so as to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of a supply chain network.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodologies of the GA‐SCN are illustrated through a case study of a supply chain network of a Hong Kong lamp manufacturing company involving 10 entities, whose roles range from suppliers, purchasers, designers and manufacturers, to sales and distributors. A GA‐SCN is developed according to the information provided by the company, the performance results in the case study are discussed, and the concepts of network analysis are then introduced to analyze the equivalence structure of the developed GA‐SCN.
Findings
The genetic algorithms approach is a suitable approach for developing an efficient and effective supply chain network in terms of shortening the processing time and reducing operating time in the network: the processing time and operating cost are reduced by around 45 percent and 35 percent per order, respectively, in the case study.
Originality/value
This paper is the first known study to apply genetic algorithms for the development of a collaborative supply chain network to increase the competitiveness of a supply chain.
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Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of V‐A‐T analysis in the management of supply chain networks.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of V‐A‐T analysis in the management of supply chain networks.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper provides a conceptual overview of V‐A‐T analysis as a procedure for categorizing manufacturing facilities, and explores the use of V‐A‐T analysis as a technique for the management of supply chain networks.
Findings
There are several challenges to the effective management of supply chain networks. However, organizations can overcome these challenges by understanding the nature of network control points as revealed through the application of V‐A‐T analysis on their supply chains.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is conceptual in nature and must be validated through empirical research studies.
Practical Implications
The concepts presented can be used by supply chain professionals to increase the likelihood of effective supply chain management within their organizations, and by supply chain researchers to further explore the use of V‐A‐T analysis as a tool for examining supply chain networks.
Originality/value
The paper makes a start in filling a void in the literature concerning how V‐A‐T analysis can be used as a tool to facilitate improved supply chain management.
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Supply chains deliver goods and services between shippers and receivers, covering collection, transportation, distribution as well as their handling and storage in between. In…
Abstract
Supply chains deliver goods and services between shippers and receivers, covering collection, transportation, distribution as well as their handling and storage in between. In particular, transportation services are carried out by different transport modes. In some modern supply chains, different categories of air cargo carriers – combinations, freighter-only, and/or integrators – provide critical transport services.
This chapter develops a methodology for estimating the performance of supply chains served by an air cargo carrier network. The methodology is based on indicators of infrastructure use, technical/technological level, operational factors, economic factors, and environmental performance. This proposed methodology is applied to estimate performance of supply chains served by an integrated air cargo carrier – FedEx Express – operating a single hub in the US domestic air network. Results indicate that the methodology may be useful for estimation of overall supply chain performance under the condition that relevant data are available.
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Peng Luo, Eric W.T. Ngai and T.C. Edwin Cheng
This paper examines the relationship between supply chain network structures and firm financial performance and the moderating role of international relations. In this study…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines the relationship between supply chain network structures and firm financial performance and the moderating role of international relations. In this study, which is grounded in social capital theory and applies the perspective of systemic risk, the authors theorize the effects of supply chain network structures on firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors extracted data from two Chinese databases and constructed a supply chain network of the firms concerned based on nearly 4,300 supply chain relations between 2009 and 2018. The authors adopted the fixed effects model to investigate the relationship between supply chain network structures and firm financial performance.
Findings
The econometrics results indicate that network structures, including the degree, centrality, clustering coefficients and structural holes, are significantly related to firm financial performance. A significant and negative relationship exists between international relations and firm financial performance. The authors also find that international relations strongly weaken the relationship between supply chain network structures and firm financial performance.
Originality/value
This study, which collects secondary data from developing countries (e.g. China) and explores the impacts of supply chain network structures on firm stock performance, contributes to the existing literature and provides practical implications.
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Ji Yan, Zihao Yu, Kiran Fernandes and Yu Xiong
To explore the mechanism that shapes firms' supply chain learning (SCL) practices, this study examines the relationship between firms' knowledge network embeddedness and their SCL…
Abstract
Purpose
To explore the mechanism that shapes firms' supply chain learning (SCL) practices, this study examines the relationship between firms' knowledge network embeddedness and their SCL practice in a supply chain network, as well as the moderating role of supply chain network cohesion in this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Using patent application data and supply chain partner information from 869 listed firms between 2011 and 2020 in China, this study uses fixed-effect regression models to reduce endogeneity problems by controlling for individual heterogeneity effects that cannot be observed over time.
Findings
Firms' knowledge network embeddedness has an inverted U-shaped effect on their SCL, and this non-linear relationship is conditional on supply chain network cohesion, which strengthens (weakens) the positive (negative) effect of knowledge network embeddedness on SCL.
Practical implications
The findings show that managers can reconcile the downsides of knowledge network embeddedness on SCL by fostering greater supply chain network cohesion.
Originality/value
Drawing from the network pluralism perspective, this study contributes to supply chain literature by extending the research context of the antecedents of SCL from a single-network setting to a dual-network setting. It extends the network pluralism perspective by showing that not only positive effects but also negative effects of network embeddedness can transfer from one network to another.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore whether brokered network governance, run by the manufacturer, affects relational embeddedness and thus contributes to yielding the Coleman…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore whether brokered network governance, run by the manufacturer, affects relational embeddedness and thus contributes to yielding the Coleman rent in the triadic supply chains.
Design/methodology/approach
Building upon the theoretical tenets of transaction cost analysis, complemented by the underpinnings of social capital theory, this study involves an empirical investigation that uses survey data collected from the triadic supply chains in Europe. The research covers a two-step analysis. In the first step, the Coleman rent was estimated through the regression analysis with the interaction effects. Then, partial least squares–structural equation modeling was used to estimate the reflective-formative nature of higher component model and test the research hypotheses.
Findings
The results of the study demonstrate that the distribution of three mechanisms in network governance is relatively even; however, market and hierarchy still emerge as the most impactful dimensions. Interestingly, though, this study shows that social capital can actually coexist with market and hierarchy in the triadic supply chains with the structural hole. Likewise, the research indicates that the impact of brokered network governance on the strength of network relational embeddedness is significant, but relatively weak, whereas network relational embeddedness has a strong and positive effect on the Coleman rent.
Research limitations/implications
This study makes three major contributions. First, this study is one of very few that explicitly considers brokered network governance, run by the manufacturer positioned on the structural hole in its triadic supply chain. Second, as the triadic perspective is still uncommon in the supply chain studies, this research investigates a triad with the structural hole within the manufacturing setting. Third, the paper seeks to investigate the ability to yield the Coleman rent in the triadic supply chains with the structural hole, although this type of rent is typically linked to another arrangement called closure.
Originality/value
Given the increasing attention paid to the role of social capital within supply chains, this study investigates how relational embeddedness can be used by the manufacturer, sitting on the structural hole and running the network governance mechanism, to yield the Coleman rent in the triadic supply chain.
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Leila Alinaghian, Jilin Qiu and Kamran Razmdoost
The purpose of this paper is to systematically review and assess the current status of research on supply chain sustainability from a network structural perspective and provide an…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to systematically review and assess the current status of research on supply chain sustainability from a network structural perspective and provide an organising framework for future scholarship in this area.
Design/methodology/approach
By adopting an evidence-based approach, this study conducts a systematic review of 73 articles from 18 peer-reviewed journals published between 2000 and 2020.
Findings
Adopting a social network analysis approach, the review identifies specific node-level (i.e. degree centrality, closeness centrality and betweenness centrality) and network-level (i.e. network density, network sub-groups and network diversity) structural properties that play a role in supply chain sustainability. The results reveal that structural properties determine the extent of perception of sustainability risks, the diffusion of sustainability targets, introduction of sustainable innovations, development of sustainability capabilities, adoption of sustainability initiatives and the monitoring of sustainability performance throughout the supply chain.
Originality/value
By distinguishing between supply network and sustainable supply network types, this study extends the existing understandings of the role of network connectivity patterns in supply chain sustainability through synthesising and evaluating the extant literature. This study further clarifies the role of these network structural properties in supply chain sustainability by describing their impact on a set of sustainable supply chain management practices through which firms achieve sustainability goals across their supply chains.
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Pushpesh Pant, Shantanu Dutta and S.P. Sarmah
The purpose of this paper is to examine how over-reliance on buyer-supplier relational capital (created through the interconnected supply chain and social network) impacts firm…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how over-reliance on buyer-supplier relational capital (created through the interconnected supply chain and social network) impacts firm performance in the context of the emerging market, i.e. India.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses the Prowess database (on Indian firms) to identify the firms that rely heavily on relational capital and employs panel data regression analyses to test the effect of relational capital on firm performance (supply chain performance and financial performance).
Findings
The results show that over-reliance on relational capital leads to lower supply chain performance (proxied by supply chain cycle) and financial performance (proxied by Tobin's Q). The results also reveal that supply chain performance mediates the relationship between over-reliance on relational capital and financial performance. Together, these results indicate that over-reliance on relational capital created through the interconnected supply chain and social network for supply chain management may negatively affect a firm's competitive advantage, which in turn can significantly impede its financial performance.
Originality/value
In light of the supply chain literature and relevant theories, the study develops an objective understanding of over-reliance relational capital created through the interconnected supply chain and social network, by relying on a large panel dataset of manufacturing firms and hence contributes to the supply chain literature. Also, it presents a novel idea to operationalize the measure for relational capital using the Prowess database.
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The main purpose of this paper is to document the research on development of a conceptual framework for the supply chain. The aims of the research were to develop an integrated…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this paper is to document the research on development of a conceptual framework for the supply chain. The aims of the research were to develop an integrated framework, and to provide a methodology for planning of many components in the supply chain such as suppliers, materials, resources, warehouses, activities and customers. The proposed framework is based on the unitary structuring technique where bills of materials, bills of warehouses, project networks and operations routings, in both manufacturing and distribution networks, are combined into a single structure.
Design/methodology/approach
The framework is described along with illustrated numerical examples in the manufacturing and distribution environments.
Findings
The numerical testing has shown that each network in the supply chain provides an integrated approach to planning and execution of many components, and is capable of providing visibility, flexibility and maintainability for further improvement in the supply chain environment.
Originality/value
The framework and planning approach developed in this research are new in the area of supply chain management and provide a foundation for planning, control and execution in supply chain in various industries.
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As organizations increase their dependence on supply chain networks, they become more susceptible to their suppliers’ disaster risk profiles, as well as other categories of risk…
Abstract
Purpose
As organizations increase their dependence on supply chain networks, they become more susceptible to their suppliers’ disaster risk profiles, as well as other categories of risk associated with supply chains. Therefore, it is imperative that supply chain network participants are capable of assessing the disaster risks associated with their supplier base. The purpose of this paper is to assess the supplier disaster risks, which are a key element of external risk in supply chains.
Design/methodology/approach
The study participants are 15 automotive casting suppliers who display a significant degree of disaster risks to a major US automotive company. Bayesian networks are used as a methodology for examining the supplier disaster risk profiles for these participants.
Findings
The results of this study show that Bayesian networks can be effectively used to assist managers in making decisions regarding current and prospective suppliers vis-à-vis their potential revenue impact as illustrated through their corresponding disaster risk profiles.
Research limitations/implications
A limitation to the use of Bayesian networks for modeling disaster risk profiles is the proper identification of risk events and risk categories that can impact a supply chain.
Practical implications
The methodology used in this study can be adopted by managers to assist them in making decisions regarding current or prospective suppliers vis-à-vis their corresponding disaster risk profiles.
Originality/value
As part of a comprehensive supplier risk management program, organizations along with their suppliers can develop specific strategies and tactics to minimize the effects of supply chain disaster risk events.
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