By surveying current forecasting practices at 500 US corporations, we explored the reasons managers rely heavily on judgmental forecasting methods and attempted to identify what needs of practitioners are not met with current procedures. Although managers are more familiar with quantitative forecasting methods than in the past, the level of usage has not increased. Practitioners continue to rely largely on judgmental forecasting methods. The major obstacles cited to the use of formal forecasting are lack of relevant data and low organizational support. Further, when quantitative forecasting methods are used, they frequently are judgmentally adjusted. Most practitioners prefer a bias in the forecast that is related to the organizational reward system.

Negotiations are an essential element of buyer-supplier relationships that form the foundation of modern supply chains. Research has identified two common types of negotiation strategies that are used in buyersupplier negotiations. A win-win negotiation strategy attempts to maximize mutual gain while a win-lose strategy focuses on obtaining a disproportionate share of benefits. This study investigates the relational costs of adopting a negotiation strategy in terms of adverse effects on knowledge sharing intentions in interdependent buyer-supplier relationships. A between-subjects scenario-based experiment is used to test hypotheses developed from applicable literature and social exchange theory. Results of the experiment indicate that employing a win-lose negotiation strategy may decrease future intentions toward information exchange, communication quality and operational knowledge transfer between buyers and suppliers. The findings inform managerial aspects of supply chain relationship management, extend the negotiation literature to consider longer-term effects of common negotiation strategies and provide insights into social exchange theory.

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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how the history of a supply chain relationship impacts expectations concerning negotiation strategy use. Design/methodology/approach – Following a grounded theory approach, experienced buyers and suppliers were interviewed to enhance understanding of the complexity of supply chain negotiations. Findings – Qualitative analysis developed a theoretical framework emphasizing the impact of relationship history on negotiation strategy expectations in long-term buyer-supplier relationships. Data supports that previous negotiation interactions build a history between the involved organizations. This relationship history creates expectations. When negotiation strategy use is consistent with expectations, the relationship history will continue to develop in the same manner as it has previously. When negotiation strategy expectations are violated, the relationship impact will differ depending on evidence of an Extrarelational Factor that leads to the strategy change. Research limitations/implications – Results of this study present a theoretical framework that future research can quantitatively test, which has the potential to open up new streams of research on relationship history and supply chain negotiations. Practical implications – Results show that buyers and suppliers should consider the strategy expectations of their negotiation partner. When actions are inconsistent with expectations, the effects impact the relationship. Originality/value – Negotiation research has largely focussed on negotiations as discrete events with economic outcomes. This ongoing buyer-supplier relationship research highlights the impact that previous negotiations (relationship history) have on negotiation expectations. It also explores the relational impact when those expectations are or are not met.

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and Kate Vitasek Supply Chain VisionsIn the age of globalization, improving a company's operational competitive advantage has become a priority for many companies. One of the ways to achieve this objective is through internal global process management and standardization.Standardization is not a new concept; it has been a key ingredient for success for many firms. McDonald's seeks to serve its customers with the same quality product and experience, whether that restaurant is located in Moscow, Idaho or Moscow, Russia. This requires standardized processes and similar quality ingredients.However, no firm can operate without taking into account various cultural or geographic differences. For instance, the menu in a McDonald's in Tokyo is different than the offerings in Paris, France or in the U.S. These issues are not the sole challenge of restaurants. Increasingly, as firms become more global, their expectation is that their suppliers will be able to support them in the same consistent manner that they did in the domestic market. This, in short, is the dilemma facing firms today: How can processes be globally standardized to meet the needs of a global market, while still taking into account various cultural and geographic dimensions?Using a case study, the research looks at process management of a global third party provider and focuses on a systemic method for implementing and managing a broad scale and on-going process management improvement project. The case study provides a method for understanding what aspects of a process can be modified to the local market without impacting the robustness of the global process and provides a method for continuous improvement.The purpose of this exploratory study is two-fold. First, it is to describe the process used by a transnational firm to identify their most critical processes, based primarily on how they provided value to their business partner. Second, the article will describe how the firm standardized key processes across their global operations.

Using survey data from 240 US corporations we evaluate the use, satisfaction, and performance of forecasting software in practice. Despite large choices in commercial forecasting software packages only 10.8 percent of the respondents report using them. Most report using spreadsheets for forecast generation, and most software users routinely adjust software generated forecasts based upon their judgment. The majority of respondents report being dissatisfied with forecasting software, and identify ease of use and easily understandable results as the features they consider most important. However, users of commercial software packages are found to have the best forecast performance, as measured by mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). These findings may demonstrate that there are benefits to be gained in accuracy for those that decide to take advantage of the available technology.

PurposeResearch and studies of successful, collaborative outsourcing relationships have uncovered commonalities that researchers codified into a methodology designed to structure aligned, innovative and cooperative outsourcing arrangements. This paper aims to describe a new methodology for establishing successful collaborative outsourcing relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe design is based on seven years of field research into successful strategic outsourcing agreements completed by the authors and additional colleagues.FindingsResearch into successful collaborative outsourcing relationships has uncovered commonalities that researchers have identified as normative rules which, when followed, lead to aligned, innovative and cooperative relationships. This paper identifies five rules and ten elements that together form a flexible framework for implementing an effective outsourcing partnership. This approach is called “vested outsourcing” because the nature of most highly successful relationships is based on a high degree of collaboration and aligned incentives where the buyer and supplier have a vested interest in each other's success.Originality/valueThe conclusions and principles derived from the original research and fieldwork are described in two books (Vested Outsourcing: Five Rules that Will Transform Outsourcing and The Vested Outsourcing Manual). This paper provides a review of the authors' current research, rather than new research findings.