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If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to extend our understanding of the importance of supplier dependence on the buyer's firm and its relationship to supplier training and supplier involvement in product development with respect to the supplier's performance. Design/methodology/approach -A random sample of 231 firms provided the data that were analyzed for this study. Using structural equation modeling, a sub-set of the sample consisting of 166 manufacturing firms was used to test the five hypothesized relationships in the model. Findings -The main findings indicate that supplier dependence is a significant contributor to increasing supplier participation in buyer supported training and increasing supplier involvement in product development. Also, supplier training and supplier involvement are significant contributors to the supplier's operational performance.Research limitations/implications -The model tested in this study used a random sample of US manufacturing firms. Thus, future studies should include a random sample of non-manufacturing firms and firms outside of the USA. The study explored the buyer's perspective only; a study of suppliers may provide further insights to extend this study. Although the use of supplier training was relatively low, significant relationships were identified. Practical implications -Based on this research, key suppliers can better understand the relationships among supplier dependence, supplier training, supplier involvement in product development and their effects on supplier's operational performance. Originality/value -Although supplier development has emerged in previously published studies as a critical factor in improving performance, the role of supplier dependence on the buyer has not been empirically examined. Further, an integrated research model that investigates the relationships among supplier dependence, supplier training, supplier involvement in product development and supplier's operational performance has not been offered.

This research proposes an integrated benchmarking framework illustrated in the context of a large supply chain system comprised of 102 distribution centers (DCs). We employ recent extensions of data envelopment analysis while addressing difficulties often associated with empirical data in real life settings. The study measures DC productivity in a large scale setting, evaluates and identifies DCs with consistent best performance using facet analysis, and detects performance trends using window analysis of 4 years’ data. This extensive evaluation of the empirical production frontier and of “role model” DCs provided very interesting insights for strategically managing operations. Our approach opens up possible new directions for examining supply chain DCs or other activities where explicit knowledge about the relationship between the inputs and outputs is not well known.

Reproductive disease in pigs due to Menangle virus was characterised by stillbirths, mummification, embryonic death and infertility, along with abortions, skeletal deformities and degeneration of the brain and spinal cord in affected foetuses and stillborn piglets.

Closed-loop supply-chain channels are distribution systems that include activities supporting both the forward flow of goods from the manufacturer to the consumer as well as the reverse flow from the consumer to the manufacturer. In this paper, we identify the reverse logistics supply-chain channels, identify problems that companies face when they handle product returns along these channels and present the critical role that information technology and collaboration can play to mitigate many of the problems and deficiencies.A key element in reducing uncertainties in the different stages of the reverse channel of a supply chain is access to accurate and timely information on the status, location, and condition of products moving about in the supply chain. It is imperative that firms operating in the reverse supply-chain channels collaborate to integrate and share information in a timely fashion. We present a case study based on our interaction with two major consumer electronics companies and demonstrate how the use of radio frequency identification device technology in a warehousing operation can reduce the overall distribution costs for the organisation.

This research applies Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology to evaluate the efficiency of units within a large-scale network of petroleum distribution facilities in the USA. Multiple inputs and outputs are incorporated into a broad set of DEA models, yielding a comprehensive approach to evaluating supply chain efficiency. This study empirically separates three recognized, important and yet different causes of performance shortfalls which have been generally difficult for managers to identify. They are: (1) managerial effectiveness; (2) scale of operations and potential for a given market area (and efficiency of resource allocation given the scale); and (3) understanding the resource heterogeneity via programmatic differences in efficiency. Overall, the efficiency differences identified raised insightful questions regarding top management's selection of the appropriate form and type of inputs and outputs, as well as questions regarding the DEA model form selected.