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.

E‐business strategy

Abstract: The interest of both researchers and practitioners around the use of Internet‐based tools to support business processes has been quite high in the last few years. However, despite the initial enthusiastic expectations, it is still not completely clear whether these expectations have been translated into business reality. This paper explores the actual adoption of Internet technologies in supply chain processes by a large sample of European manufacturing firms participating in the IMSS survey. Four e‐business strategies are identified and their relationship with contingent factors and supply chain integration mechanisms is investigated. Results show a close link between the use of Internet tools and the level of integration with customers and suppliers, thus suggesting the need to define e‐business strategies in coherence with the use of traditional integration mechanisms.

An initial classification of supply networks

Abstract: The articulation of supply networks, as an extension of supply chains, seeks to accommodate and explain the commercial complexity associated with the creation and delivery of goods and services from the source of raw materials to their destination in end‐customer markets. In place of the simplistic, linear and unidirectional model sometimes presented for supply chains, the supply network concept describes lateral links, reverse loops, two‐way exchanges and so on, encompassing the upstream and downstream activity, with a focal firm as the point of reference. A review of classifications of supply networks reveals that none of the existing approaches appears adequate for managers facing the practical problems of creating and operating them on a day‐to‐day basis. This research identifies differing emphases that may be required for managing within supply networks, according to the nature of the products for which they are created. Taking an established categorisation of supply chains as its starting point, the research first develops the conceptual basis, using strategy literature, and then tests the resultant initial model in 16 case studies. Finally, a new categorisation for supply networks is presented, using the type of product as a differentiator.

Blockchain-based traceability in Agri-Food supply chain management: A practical implementation

Abstract: The recent, exponential rise in adoption of the most disparate Internet of Things (IoT) devices and technologies has reached also Agriculture and Food (Agri-Food) supply chains, drumming up substantial research and innovation interest towards developing reliable, auditable and transparent traceability systems. Current IoT-based traceability and provenance systems for Agri-Food supply chains are built on top of centralized infrastructures and this leaves room for unsolved issues and major concerns, including data integrity, tampering and single points of failure. Blockchains, the distributed ledger technology underpinning cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, represent a new and innovative technological approach to realizing decentralized trustless systems. Indeed, the inherent properties of this digital technology provide fault-tolerance, immutability, transparency and full traceability of the stored transaction records, as well as coherent digital representations of physical assets and autonomous transaction executions. This paper presents AgriBlockIoT, a fully decentralized, blockchain-based traceability solution for Agri-Food supply chain management, able to seamless integrate IoT devices producing and consuming digital data along the chain. To effectively assess AgriBlockIoT, first, we defined a classical use-case within the given vertical domain, namely from-farm-to-fork. Then, we developed and deployed such use-case, achieving traceability using two different blockchain implementations, namely Ethereum and Hyperledger Sawtooth. Finally, we evaluated and compared the performance of both the deployments, in terms of latency, CPU, and network usage, also highlighting their main pros and cons.

Information sharing in supply chains

Abstract: Supply chain is defined as a system of suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and customers where material, financial and information flows connect participants in both directions. Most supply chains are composed of independent agents with individual preferences. It is expected that no single agent has the power to optimise the supply chain. Supply chain management is now seen as a governing element in strategy and as an effective way of creating value for customers. The so-called bullwhip effect, describing growing variation upstream in a supply chain, is probably the most famous demonstration that decentralised decision making can lead to poor supply chain performance. Information asymmetry is one of the most powerful sources of the bullwhip effect. Information sharing of customer demand has an impact on the bullwhip effect. Information technology has lead to centralised information, shorter lead times and smaller batch sizes. The analysis of causes of the bullwhip effect has lead to suggestions for reducing the bullwhip effect in supply chains by strategic partnership. Supply chain partnership leads to increased information flows, reduced uncertainty, and a more profitable supply chain. The cooperation is based on contacts and formal agreements. Information exchange is very important issue for coordinating actions of units. New business practices and information technology make the coordination even closer. Information sharing and strategic partnerships of units can be modelled by different network structures.