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Organizations need to better design, manage, and improve their supply chains as these become global and more complex. To do this, they need to learn from other organizations and sectors, preempt problems before they occur, and understand the future challenges they may face. Although over 40,000 articles and books have been published on supply chain management since coining the term in 1982, a clear understanding of the emerging trends, current knowledge gaps, and potential areas for future development does not exist. Our bibliometric analysis of the existing literature suggests we still need to better understand how to manage security, insourcing, sustainability, competition, risk and disruption, and human behaviour within supply chains. Equally, there is still a lack of research within healthcare, disaster and humanitarian supply chains, as well as within small and medium enterprises.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between internal strategic fit and business performance, propose six classifications of internal fit using the “strategic map” managerial framework and identify how firms should best move from one classification to another and the impact that these changes will have on business performance.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical research was conducted in 12 service organisations. Based on these findings, two fit‐performance relationships were identified and the “fitness map” framework was developed showing six classifications of fit.FindingsThe alignment of operations strategy within an organisation is significantly and positively related to market share, whereas, the alignment of the service delivery system is significantly and positively related to return on sales. However, neither the alignment of the operations strategy nor the service delivery system appears to have a relationship with return on investment. Six classifications of internal strategic fit emerged: poorly aligned organisations are either “understanding processes” or “understanding markets”, medium‐fit companies are “managing processes” or “developing service offerings” and well‐aligned firms are “leveraging services and process capabilities” or “leveraging markets and design capabilities”.Practical implicationsThe fit‐performance relationships show how changes in the alignment of operations strategy and delivery system impact business performance differently. Using this knowledge, practitioners can use the “strategic map” framework to identify their classification of fit and understand how it has been created, benchmark their level of fit against other businesses, understand how to move from one level of fit to another and how these decisions will impact business performance.Originality/valueThe paper's findings start to address the gap in the literature on internal strategic fit within service organisations and meet the need for more management tools to help businesses develop strategies, understand the level of fit they create and how they can impact business performance.

This paper investigates how organization should design their supply chains (SCs) and use risk mitigation strategies to meet different performance objectives. To do this, we develop two mixed integer nonlinear (MINL) lean and responsive models for a four-tier SC to understand these four strategies: i) holding back-up emergency stocks at the DCs, ii) holding back-up emergency stock for transshipment to all DCs at a strategic DC (for risk pooling in the SC), iii) reserving excess capacity in the facilities, and iv) using other facilities in the SC's network to back-up the primary facilities. A new method for designing the network is developed which works based on the definition of path to cover all possible disturbances. To solve the two proposed MINL models, a linear regression approximation is suggested to linearize the models; this technique works 2 based on a piecewise linear transformation. The efficiency of the solution technique is tested for two prevalent distribution functions. We then explore how these models operate using empirical data from an automotive SC. This enables us to develop a more comprehensive risk mitigation framework than previous studies and show how it can be used to determine the optimal SC design and risk mitigation strategies given the uncertainties faced by practitioners and the performance objectives they wish to meet.

PurposeThe purpose of this exploratory research paper is to present a strategic profiling managerial framework that enables businesses to show visually the level of internal strategic fit in their organisation. Using this framework, service operations managers are able to understand the level of fit that exists, how it is created and identify actions for improving it.Design/methodology/approachCase‐based research was conducted in eight service organisations to investigate their level of internal fit and the corresponding characteristics of their market, operating strategy and service delivery system. Based on these findings, a strategic profiling framework was developed.FindingsThe strategic profiling framework allows a service organisation to compare the characteristics of its market, operating strategy and service delivery system and determine the level of internal strategic fit. This enables it to see more clearly where conflicts exist and to start to understand the steps required to improve the level of fit in its organisation.Research limitations/implicationsThe research used the Heskett strategic service vision and Hill's order‐winner and qualifier technique to investigate the level of internal fit. It looked at how they can be applied and the insights they reveal rather than whether the elements they contain are correct. The research focused on developing and presenting a method of visualizing internal fit, rather than investigating the link between fit and performance. The strategic profiling framework developed needs to be tested on a wider sample of organisations to see whether high‐fit profiles have high performance and whether the insights it reveals are true for other businesses.Practical implicationsService organisations can use the strategic profiling framework to understand their level of internal strategic fit, and why it exists, in order to understand how to improve it.Originality/valueThe strategic profiling framework presented in this paper starts to address the gap in the literature around research into the field of internal strategic fit. It also meets the need for more management tools to help businesses develop strategies and understand the level of fit they create.

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