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It is crucial to recognize that supply chain flexibility is important to build sustainable competitive edge in coping with uncertainty. This study puts forth an empirically supported integrative framework to understand supply chain flexibility from market-oriented and network-oriented perspectives, interrelationships among its dimensions and the effect of supply chain complexity as a contingent factor.

The online survey data were collected from 201 manufacturing companies and checked for common method variance, validity and reliability. Structural equation modeling was then used to test the hypotheses.

The results of this study demonstrate that there are interrelationships among market-oriented and network-oriented supply chain flexibility dimensions. It is the flexibility embedded in the supply chain network configuration that plays critical roles in superior performance in flexibility capabilities to create customer values. The interrelated effect among flexibility dimensions is contingent on the magnitude of the supply chain complexity corresponding to the number of supply chain tiers.

This study takes a step to advance understanding of supply chain flexibility from an integrative point of view consisting of market-oriented and network-oriented perspectives. This study is expected to provide practitioners the foundation to implement supply chain flexibility considering the interrelationships among flexibility dimensions. Our results suggest that to carry out a supply chain flexibility strategy, the vertical complexity of the supply chain structure needs to be taken into consideration.

The extant literature highlights the notable lack of a consensus among operations and supply chain management scholars regarding the theoretical underpinnings and associated empirical evidence for the performance impact of supply chain quality management (SCQM) practices on quality. The purpose of this paper is to redress this imbalance in the literature through empirical examination of the relationship between SCQM practices and quality performance outcomes.

In accordance with the research aim, a quantitative approach was adopted, and a multi-item scale Web-based survey was designed to collect primary data. A total number of 325 questionnaires were collected from a sample of UK-based manufacturing companies. Factor analysis, internal consistency and multivariate regressions were used to validate the multi-item scale and test the hypotheses.

The findings confirm the proposed hypotheses and reveal statistically significant results for the performance impact of SCQM practices on quality at an aggregate level. However, the results of the individual level analysis of SCQM practices appear to vary from practice to practice. Of various SCQM practices, customer focus with the highest beta value (i.e. ß = 0.303; t-value = 6.120; p = 0.000) was found to have the greatest impact on quality performance.

The findings encourage managers to place high priority on both inter-firm and intra-firm relationships as prerequisites for achieving superior quality performance. The propositions and the results of the study provide managers with some guidelines about effective management of upstream, midstream and downstream supply chain networks and awareness of the potential synergies arising from the combined effects of SCQM practices that could bring about desired quality performance outcomes across the entire supply chain network.

Real and sustainable quality performance often requires an equal focus on both intra- and inter-firm relationships among supply chain partners. Therefore, effective management of quality across the entire supply chain is deemed essential if a firm is to smoothly supply high-quality products and services to customers. But little research has been devoted to understanding conceptual underpinnings of SCQM as well as empirical support and validation for the conceptualisation and measurement of SCQM practices. Based on the insights gained from social network theory, this paper makes an attempt to address this gap and examine the impact of SCQM practices on quality performance.

From the perspective of the economic theory of complementarity, the purpose of this paper is to examine how internal collaboration and external competencies would provoke and strengthen each other, and subsequently enhance organizational innovation capability.

The survey data were collected from 201 manufacturing firms and checked for common method variance, validity and reliability. Structural equation modeling was then used to test the hypothetical complementarity effect.

The results suggest that internal collaboration (as a manifestation of exploitative learning) and external competencies, which include supply network flexibility and supplier operational capabilities (as manifestation of exploratory learning), do in fact compensate for each other’s deficiencies. Complementary deployment of internal collaboration and external competencies enhances each other’s contribution to innovation capability. Practically, the study indicates that organizations should consider making concerted efforts to develop internal collaboration, supply network flexibility and supplier operational capability as a bundle.

Extensive discussions exist in the literature on exploration and exploitation being essential components of innovation and their conflicting impact on innovation efficiency and effectiveness. But how an organization should operationally develop supply chain competencies in order to maximize overall innovation capability still remains largely an unanswered question. The current study advances the research on the inter-relationships between exploration and exploitation by empirically demonstrating the complementary nature of internal collaboration and external competencies in developing sustainable innovation capabilities.

Building on the expectancy value theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of word-of-mouth (WOM) and customer value (i.e. functional value and ease-of-doing-business value) on B2B business performance in the B2B sales process.

The authors develop a framework to understand how B2B WOM and customer value influence supplier sales performance. This model was tested using structural equation modeling with a sample of 220 suppliers on Alibaba.com.

The empirical findings demonstrate that B2B WOM valence and volume have positive influences on the number of quotations and the number of transactions, respectively. Additionally, B2B WOM volume mediates the relationship between operational performance and the number of transactions. Response rate mediates the relationships between response time and both the number of quotations and the number of transactions, respectively.

This study contributes to the industrial marketing of B2B sales on the digital platform by investigating two influencers on sales performance: WOM and customer value.

The purpose of this study is to provide insights into the way in which understanding and implementation of disruptive technology, specifically big data analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT), have changed over time. The study also examines the ways in which research in supply chain and related fields differ when responding to and managing disruptive change.

This study follows a four-step systematic review process, consisting of literature collection, descriptive analysis, category selection and material evaluation. For the last stage of evaluating relevant issues and trends in the literature, the latent semantic analysis method was adopted using Leximancer, which allows more rapid, reliable and consistent content analysis.

The empirical analysis identified key research trends in big data analytics and IoT divided over two time-periods, in which research demonstrated steady growth by 2015 and the rapid growth was shown afterwards. The key finding of this review is that the main interest in recent big data is toward overlapping customer service, support and supply chain network, systems and performance. Major research themes in IoT moved from general supply chain and business information management to more specific context including supply chain design, model and performance.

In addition to providing more awareness of this research approach, the authors seek to identify important trends in disruptive technologies research over time.

The purpose of this research is to develop a validated general measure of supply chain risk management maturity (SCRMM) to assess organizational risk management maturity in the context of the supply chain (SC).

Dimensions and statements measuring SCRMM were developed through a literature review and consultation with experts. The instrument was refined through a pilot study and a full-scale study of 140 SC managers in the USA. A final SCRMM instrument, consisting of 25 statements, was obtained through scale purification, exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis of construct validity. Cluster analysis was conducted to characterize the organizational groupings with respect to the instrument dimensions.

SCRMM was found to be comprised of the three main dimensions of SC Risk Management Orientation, Enterprise Risk Management Integration (ERMI), and SC Risk Collaboration. ERMI was found to be comprised of the three sub-dimensions of SC Risk Mitigation, Improvement of Risk Management Processes, and Organization Internal Risk Management. Cluster analysis revealed three groups characterized according to SCRMM as leaders, followers, and laggards.

The findings are based on a sample in the USA, so the SCRMM scale may not generalize to supply chains in other countries or geographic regions.

The instrument provides a self-assessment and benchmark tool for businesses to advance their SC risk management through different stages of maturity.

This is a pioneering general instrument that treats risk management maturity of the organization in the context of the SC. Participants span many industries and SC positions.

Although previous studies noted the importance for organizations in establishing an innovation strategy, few have examined innovation orientation as a multidimensional knowledge configuration. Therefore, this study draws on the valuable theoretical underpinnings of the resource-based view and information processing theory to examine the mechanism through which an organization's innovation orientation (IO) and team unlearning (TU) can impact new product development (NPD) success.

A causal model was developed in order to analyze the role of innovation orientation and team unlearning on NPD success. This proposed model and several hypotheses were gauged using data from 255 NPD team members from Taiwanese high-tech and traditional companies.

The results indicate that both IO and TU relate to outcomes. Specifically, this study demonstrates that it is insufficient that firms simply establish the configurations needed to enhance their IO and TU, firms also need to find out the correct mechanism to enhance NPD success. The relationships between IO, TU and NPD success were fully mediated by team information processing.

This report sheds light on the importance of innovation orientation and team unlearning in today's NPD process and uncovers the underlying mechanism through which IO and TU contribute to NPD success. It also offers precise advice for the assessment of management of team information-processing to boost the performance of new products.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the current state of employee training practices in a sample of Iranian‐based organisations.

The research approach adopted for the study conforms to qualitative research in the form of multiple case study design. Semi‐structured interview is adopted to collect qualitative data. To enhance the validity of the information derived from the interviews, the interview data are supplemented by some observations and examination of the related documents.

Data from managers and employees from different functional areas support a capital approach to employee training. The results further indicate that the current approach to training has an upward impact on employee turnover. Overall, the data suggest that the effect of training on employee motivation and productivity is indirect through management's approach and orientation towards training. This, in turn, causes a gap between employee's expectation and perception toward the effectiveness of organisational training.

There is no sufficient evidence to correlate directly the contribution of training programmes to the overall performance of both employee and organisation. The need for more empirical data should focus on more rigorous testing of the implications of the current state of training interventions for other human resource management practices.

There is a fundamental need for the Iranian managers, first, to reconsider their understanding of and rationale for training interventions; second, to realise the increased importance of employee training in achieving sustainable competitive advantage in the long term; third, to encourage employees to recognise their training needs; and last and fourth, to recognise the importance of employee training in enhancing organisational commitment. In respect of the management of international companies wishing to exploit business opportunities in Iran, there is a need on their part to know the Iranian culture, its difference from other Middle Eastern countries, and therefore to overcome such existing cross‐cultural challenges.

The degree to which the adoption of training strategies reflects new and different attitudes and practices among the non‐managerial employees is seen to be a major shortcoming of previous research. This study addresses such limitation by collecting data from multiple perspectives in the novel context of the Middle East with a particular focus on Iran.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the potential of a qualitative middle-range research approach to contribute to the advancement of operations management (OM) field.

–To better signify such contribution, it takes insight from Merton's (1968) notion of middle-range theory as a means to create pathways of propositions that link substantive concepts and practices of OM in both context-specific and context-free operational environments.

The paper brings to the fore the argument that achieving the primary objective of filling the “theory-methods” void in OM can be achieved through adoption of a qualitative middle-range approach.

The originality of this paper hinges on the premise that theory-oriented qualitative field research that is able to incorporate experiences of different stakeholders of the OM intervention is highly likely to benefit OM theory advancement as well as OM practice.

The purpose of this paper is to understand and describe the conditions that compel and underscore global supply chain (SC) adaptations.

Insights from contingency theory, Porter's economic cluster theory and international factory mapping are used to analyze the SC adaptations that follow when an automotive firm moves from a domestic to a global SC.

An automotive global SC adaptation includes market entry considerations, the establishment of a three‐stage flexible time‐ and production‐based supplier network plan, and the integration of logistics partners.

SC adaptations are an important consideration for any manufacturing expansion effort, especially international ones. Varying production levels impact supplier relationships and decisions and may result in varied supplier perspectives. Government regulations influence entry and routine decisions, while logistics issues and costs play an integral role in supplier perceptions and reactions.

With the rapid expansion of the Chinese auto market, entering manufacturing firms need more information about how to strategically locate, and develop and support supplier networks. A stepped supplier network establishment approach optimizes benefits for both manufacturing firm and suppliers. Evaluating and integrating logistics issues also sets the stage for future expansion efforts at optimal cost and supplier support.

The internationalization of the automotive SC involves adaptations that can only be successful through advance planning, strategic supplier networking, and systematic logistics integration.