E ffective supply chain management strategies can lead to substantial improvements in customer value and reductions in system wide costs for each participant. Implementing supply chain management strategies, however, is not possible without embracing supply chain orientation (SCO) as a managerial philosophy. Organizational theorists have argued that organizations change only when the people in them change, yet we know little about the complex social processes occurring in the minds of the individuals involved in creating an SCO. The current literature lacks research that describes the transition to an SCO from a supply chain manager's perspective. Our objective is to fill this gap by delving into the minds of operations managers, who must carry out an interpretation process to set goals, process information, perceive their environment, and actively solve problems when confronted with the organization's decision to implement supply chain initiatives. We adopt an interpretivist ontology through utilizing grounded theory to provide an indepth analysis of interviews from seven manufacturing organizations and 121 supply chain managers to provide a rich description of those managers' perceptions and challenges throughout the transition. Managerial and research implications as well as future research opportunities are provided.

G lobal supply chains are growing rapidly, and the ability to manage cross border logistics operations has become a necessity to maintain a competitive advantage in a dynamic environment. This research addresses current gaps in the literature by investigating the buyer-supplier integration dynamics in a global context with a focus on the antecedents and outcomes involved in the process. Empirical data from 320 U.S. based manufacturing companies that source from overseas was collected and used to test the framework. In addition to providing empirical evidence for the importance of orientation on collaboration, operational coordination, and integration this research explains how manufacturing companies can enhance the flexibility of their global suppliers and how that impact their logistics as well as overall firm performance. Managerial and research implications are provided as well as areas for future research.

Purpose Although supply chain scholars have acknowledged the fundamental disruptive changes experienced by today’s supply chains and the ensuing novelty of the research problems worthy of investigation, they have primarily relied on a limited number of theories to help explain the phenomena of interest. The purpose of this paper is to use a systematic literature review to address this gap and propose additional theories that supply chain researchers can use to help address novel supply chain phenomena, such as those caused by technological disruptions. Design/methodology/approach The authors use a systematic literature review to examine the studies published over the last 10 years in six of the top supply chain management journals (411 articles) and six of the top marketing and management journals (1,214 articles). Findings First, the findings show that 15 theories have been relied upon by over 95 per cent of the studies within supply chain management that use formal theories. Second, the authors identify the most frequently used theories within marketing and management (217 theories). Third, as space limitations make it impossible to offer a rich description of each of the 217 theories, the authors identify 30 theories that they considered to be the most salient to supply chain research and suggest areas where supply chain scholars can apply these theoretical lenses. Originality/value The research effort allowed the authors to map the current use of theories within the field to gain a better understanding of what other theories could augment the body of theories used within supply chain management. Thus, the current study is a “one stop shop” that supply chain scholars can consult when in a quandary about what theoretical lens to utilize.

Empirical evidence shows that investments in sustainable supply chain management can improve economic-based performance. Thus, based on standard economic theory, rational business decision makers should and will implement sustainable supply chain management practices. However, through inductive research methods, we uncovered an intriguing theme that runs counter to both the existing empirical evidence and such economic-based assumptions. We find that managers operating in firms without exemplary sustainable supply chain management practices face immense hurdles in developing a business case for implementing sustainability initiatives. Despite the lack of such practices-and in tension with the prevailing empirical evidence and theory-the firms within which these managers operate were performing well on economic-based performance metrics. Departing from the neoclassical economic theory of the firm, we apply the Behavioral Theory of the Firm's theoretical assumptions to findings which suggest four segments of managers in non-exemplary firms who vary based primarily on how they perceive strategic vulnerability, evaluate choices, and utilize sustainability knowledge.

The purpose of this article is to review literature on interorganizational learning (IOL) and related constructs systematically to develop a theoretical model of IOL. An extensive and systematic literature review was undertaken in major logistics, supply chain, operations, and strategic management journals to identify theories in which a model of IOL could be grounded and to document major relationships related to the concepts of organizational learning and IOL. Using resource-based view, relational view, and knowledge-based view as the theoretical foundations, a conceptual model depicting IOL as a source of a competitive advantage was developed. The proposed theoretical framework suggests IOL can be used to develop capabilities such as innovation and flexibility that, in turn, lead to higher levels of logistics performance and contribute to a firm's competitive advantage. Supply chain orientation is an important antecedent to IOL, and cultural distance is an important moderator of IOL. This article contributes to the body of knowledge on IOL by positioning IOL within the framework of received theories and constructs. Implications for managers and several directions for future research are also identified.