Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR) as an interconnection scheme between organizations has been shown to have significant benefits. Since its inception in the 1990s, its uptake has been lower than originally predicted. This paper identifies the major barriers and their interrelationships in CPFR implementations with a focus on high-tech industries. Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) is used with a group of CPFR experts from industry/academia and Matrice d'Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée àun Classement (MICMAC) analysis to identify the driving and dependence powers. The paper identified 45 CPFR barriers and classifies them into four categories based on expert opinion, with only 13 of these determined to be significant. The results indicate that in terms of categories, managerial barriers are a significant root cause for both process and cultural barriers and CPFR implementation difficulties. It also indicates that although the importance of information technology to launch collaborative schemes has been addressed by many scholars, technology alone is not the complete solution for successful CPFR implementation. The paper has significant practical implications for organizations as it identifies the main CPFR barriers and their causal relationships. This will help firms in the process of CPFR strategy development particularly for mitigation strategies for dominant barriers.

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The electronic structures of the Bbt(Br)E═M(PCy(3))(2) (E = C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb and M = Pt, Pd) complexes and their potential energy surfaces for the formation and water addition reactions were studied using density functional theory (B3LYP/LANL2DZ). The theoretical evidence suggests that the bonding character of the E═M double bond between the six valence-electron Bbt(Br)E: species and the 14 valence-electron (PCy(3))(2)M complexes has a predominantly high s-character. That is, on the basis of the NBO, this theoretical study indicates that the σ-donation from the E element to the M atom prevails. Also, theoretical computations suggest that the relative reactivity decreases in the order: Bbt(Br)C═M(PCy(3))(2) > Bbt(Br)Si═M(PCy(3))(2) > Bbt(Br)Ge═M(PCy(3))(2) > Bbt(Br)Sn═M(PCy(3))(2) > Bbt(Br)Pb═M(PCy(3))(2), irrespective of whether M = Pt or M = Pd is chosen. Namely, the greater the atomic weight of the group 14 atom (E), the larger is the atomic radius of E and the more stable is its Bbt(Br)E═M(PCy(3))(2) doubly bonded species toward chemical reactions. The computational results show good agreement with the available experimental observations. The theoretical results obtained in this work allow a number of predictions to be made.

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