Supply chain management promises competitive advantages for industrial organizations. The introduction of new products and services, or entry into new markets, is likely to be more successful if accompanied by innovative supply chain designs, innovative supply chain management practices, and enabling technology. This is a widely accepted premise in business practice today. However, systematic research and knowledge about supply chain innovation (SCI) is little developed. There is a lack of common terminology, of agreement about the conceptual understanding, and of related empirical work. This paper presents an exploratory study that aims to provide a better understanding of SCI, mirroring leading edge practice, and providing a sound terminological and conceptual basis for advanced academic work in the field. The research is based on an in-depth literature review and the analysis of a set of secondary data sources: 36 SCI cases, drawn from applications for the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals' (CSCMP) Supply Chain Innovation Award. As results of the research, a new SCI definition, the construction of a descriptive model of its key elements, and discussion of implications are presented.
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the concept of Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) from an inter-organisational perspective. Extant literature on VMI tends to investigate the concept from a focal perspective, even though VMI has originally been born as a collaborative arrangement.Design/methodology: The paper is based on a literature review and an empirical study. It provides a comprehensive literature review on VMI and an illustrative case study of a supplier and a buyer jointly implementing VMI. Findings:The findings of this paper are twofold. First, a literature review uncovers that contemporary research has delimited the analysis of VMI to a focal company perspective as current VMI cost models tend not to capture the picture of the complete supply chain.Second, it demonstrates through an illustrative case study that adoption of an interorganisational approach to VMI is vital if companies are to optimize their buyer-supplier relationships. Research limitations/implications: Future research should test the implications proposed inthe empirical section, as this piece of research can be seen as exploratory case study research with the aim of analytical generalizations.-831-Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management -http://dx.doi.org/10. 3926/jiem.1195 Practical implications: The inter-organisational VMI cost perspective in supply chains should be emphasized in purchasing departments since such a perspective significantly raises the awareness of the costs incurred in a supply chain.Originality/value: Existing research has not explicitly focused on inter-organisational costs incurred by companies implementing VMI. This study seeks to bridge this research gap.
PurposeLean has long been developed and utilised in the manufacturing setting. Today, lean seems to be applicable in all organisational settings; and recently, lean has been applied in the municipal sector. The purpose of this paper is to investigate lean practices in the municipal sector in a service supply chain management (SCM) context.Design/methodology/approachThis paper analyses lean implementation in Danish municipalities through the use of two sets of questionnaire surveys from 2008 to 2009. Furthermore, data based on three confirmative case studies of lean implementations are included.FindingsThe paper outlines a model that illustrates under which conditions lean is deemed most appropriate according to the type of service delivered. The surveys and case studies show that lean is mainly implemented as “toolbox lean,” such as with value stream mapping, kaizen and information boards. In addition, the analyses show that the lean philosophy can be used by the public sector to be more effective in terms of cost reduction and service improvements if the assumptions for implementing lean exist.Research limitations/implicationsFrom a supply chain perspective, data are collected only from a focal firm perspective (municipalities). Future research must investigate lean applications in public service supply chains from interorganisational perspectives.Practical implicationsThis paper provides guidance on the concept of lean and on under which circumstances it may be applied in a public service SCM context. Furthermore, it stresses the importance of defining the customers and clarifying their demands in terms of value requirements.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to study the lean philosophy in the public sector from a service supply chain perspective.
With the purpose of understanding the extent of superfluous work and, thereby, suggesting managerial opportunities for reducing superfluous work, this paper focuses on decision-making processes at the shop floor level in digitalized manufacturing companies. Superfluous work is a kind of hidden waste and comprises the gap between necessary work and the work that is actually carried out, either on handling daily tasks at the shop floor, accomplishing decision-making processes, or implementing workarounds. By using an abductive approach, the research systematically combines a theoretical conceptualization of shop floor decision-making processes in smart-manufacturing with an empirical enquiry into a highly digitalized manufacturing company. The paper reveals superfluous work if the decision-making process involves collaboration across disciplines and/or organizational boundaries. Superfluous work occurs because of a lack of data and information to guide reflective thinking and knowledge sharing. In relation to highly complex decision-making, the ongoing implementation of workarounds also causes superfluous work. Prerequisites for reducing superfluous work are enhancing the accessibility of applicable data to guide reflective thinking and knowledge sharing at the shop floor level.
Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to report on the experiences from a number of two-day courses in fundamentals of supply chain management completed for about 200 employees in a case company. The courses were held in order to increase the organisation's competency level and by this prepare people for changes. The paper aims to test whether this course has had an effect on the implementation process and participants taking part in the course. Design/methodology/approach -Applies two sets of questionnaires. The first questionnaire consists of evaluation sheets that were handed out to the participants and filled out at the end of each course. The second questionnaire was distributed by e-mail to the participants of the completed courses.Findings -Provides evidence for the possibility to construct and complete a supply chain course that could increase competency level and change readiness.Practical implications -It takes time to obtain a common understanding of technical terms, concepts and the mechanisms for running supply chains efficiently. The involving part for such a course construction is the most important element.Originality/value -There is little in the literature about how companies approach changes in global supply chains from a change management and competence perspective.
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