Supply chain management

About: Supply chain management is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 39055 publications have been published within this topic receiving 1082949 citations. The topic is also known as: SCM.

Supply chain metrics.

Abstract: Most discussions and articles about supply chain metrics are, in actuality, about internal logistics performance measures. The lack of a widely accepted definition for supply chain management and the complexity associated with overlapping supply chains make the development of supply chain metrics difficult. Despite these problems, managers continue to pursue supply chain metrics as a means to increase their “line of sight” over areas they do not directly control, but have a direct impact on their company's performance. We provide a framework for developing supply chain metrics that translates performance into shareholder value. The framework focuses on managing the interfacing customer relationship management and supplier relationship management processes at each link in the supply chain. The translation of process improvements into supplier and customer profitability provides a method for developing metrics that identify opportunities for improved profitability and align objectives across all of the firms in the supply chain.

Supply Chain Management and Advanced Planning

Abstract: A ceramic fiber mat attached to the interior wall or surface of a high temperature chamber or furnace or adapted to overlie an intermediate insulating member positioned between the mat and a furnace wall, the fibers in the mat lying in planes generally perpendicular to the wall, the mat constituting an improved insulation for the wall where the interior of the chamber or furnace will be operating at temperatures in excess of 1600 DEG F.

Flow Coordination and Information Sharing in Supply Chains: Review, Implications, and Directions for Future Research

Abstract: Advances in information technology, particularly in the e-business arena, are enabling firms to rethink their supply chain strategies and explore new avenues for inter-organizational cooperation. However, an incomplete understanding of the value of information sharing and physical flow coordination hinder these efforts. This research attempts to help fill these gaps by surveying prior research in the area, categorized in terms of information sharing and flow coordination. We conclude by highlighting gaps in the current body of knowledge and identifying promising areas for future research.

Information Processing, Knowledge Development, and Strategic Supply Chain Performance

Abstract: Little is known about why some supply chains perform well while others do not. Drawing on the knowledge-based view of the firm and theory from the information processing and organizational learning...

The Green Supply Chain: Integrating Suppliers into Environmental Management Processes

Abstract: INTRODUCTION The environment has become a critical issue in business today. In the 1960s and 1970s businesses typically considered environmental compliance to be a "fringe" issue which elicited little discussion at executive levels. Since then, several highly visible environmental disasters (e.g., Love Canal, Three Mile Island, Exxon Valdez) have demonstrated the importance of having a comprehensive environmental strategy in place. As is true of Total Quality Management (TQM), environmental strategies must be conceived and supported by top management, but deployed in every functional area of an organization to be meaningful. Previous research showed how cross-functional "buy-in" is necessary to integrate environmental strategies with supply chain management.[1] This study extends the findings of that research by focusing on the role of purchasing and supply chain management in improving the environmental performance of an organization. The next section discusses the growing importance of environmental management to business. Case studies are discussed and a set of generic guidelines regarding the role of purchasing and supply chain management in environmental management is presented. The final section summarizes the conclusions and insights from the study. APPROACHES TO ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT The traditional view of environmental management in business has been either "we need only comply to the letter of the law," or worse yet, "ignore it and it might go away." These attitudes grew out of the perception that any actions which improved the environment were detrimental to interests of business. Such perceptions were often fueled by the news media (e.g., the ongoing dispute concerning the logging industry and the spotted owl in the Pacific Northwest). Traditional "anti-business" environmental perceptions also led to instances where companies decided it was in their best interest to pollute and pay a small fine, instead of finding ways to prevent or eliminate the waste. Penalties associated with polluting escalated with the passage of the Superfund in the 1970s, SERA in the 1980s, and other legislation in the 1990s, and businesses began to realize that some level of compliance would be necessary. The typical response of companies was to comply with the legislation, but to rarely integrate these policies across the company. This type of response to environmental issues can be termed "resistant adaptation."[2] A slightly more developed environmental management approach accepts the goal of minimizing waste, without trying to eliminate the source of the waste. Companies pursuing this approach often try to find ways to "clean up" or store the waste once it is created. Companies that install smokestack devices to reduce the level of pollutants emitted into the air, without trying to reduce the level of pollutants produced, are "embracing without innovating." This reactive approach to environmental issues is characterized by "end-of-the-pipe" solutions.[3] While embracing environmental issues without changing current processes provides the company with a sense of social legitimacy,[4] it usually leads to narrow, incremental solutions.[5] As such, companies are not realizing the competitive implications of environmentally-friendly supply chain practices; they merely experience penalty avoidance. Companies are now starting to recognize the possible competitive advantages associated with environmental awareness.[6] However, as environmental management makes its way into corporate strategic planning, it must also be integrated with the day-to-day processes of the organization. Companies which make minimal changes to optimize their current processes can be called "receptive" to environmental issues. Companies which look beyond their current processes to find and eliminate sources of waste are more "constructive" in their response. Constructive responses to environmental issues focus on the value embodied in the product and process by integrating product planning and changes into environmental planning and response. …