JSCM 2020 review
With 2020 coming to a close, today we take a look back on the research we have featured this year.
Before we dive into 2020 I’d just like to remind everyone we have an ongoing Call for new Co-Editors, the full details can be found here: https://www.journalofsupplychainmanagement.com/new-blog/2020/12/4/call-for-new-co-editors-for-the-journal-of-supply-chain-management
We currently have our first Virtual issue available here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1111/(ISSN)1745-493x.emerging-discourse-incubator-not-for-profit-firms
Also, our first issue of 2021 includes an Editorial entitled “Managing Supply Chains Beyond Covid-19: Preparing for the Next Global Mega-Disruption.” so please keep an eye out for that in the new year..
Wishing all our JSCM community a safe, healthy, and happy Holiday break!
We talked to Lisa Ellram and Wendy Tate about their recent research entitled “The Conflicted Role of Purchasing in New Product Development Costing”
“As organizations are increasingly challenged to find new sources of profit improvement, cost reduction becomes a top priority on the business agenda. Expectations for cost reductions are ongoing and influence both new and existing products and services. The costs for new product and service introductions are managed differently than ongoing cost reductions. Purchasing plays a central role, with different goals, in cost control for new products and services versus ongoing cost savings. This research uses a case study methodology to understand the conflict purchasing faces in managing both new product costs and ongoing cost reductions. Due to goal incongruence between new product development and ongoing savings initiatives, purchasing may act in its own best interest, rather than in the best interest of the organization or team. This is both a contracting and an information uncertainty problem, creating an opening for passive opportunism by purchasing. Thus, agency theory and information processing theory (IPT) are combined to examine how information uncertainty can be reduced and contractual goal alignment improved in these situations. The outcome of this research is to expose potential goal misalignment between new product development cost processes and ongoing cost savings, and suggest theoretically grounded methods for reducing the potential conflict.”
The full article can be found here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jscm.12217
We talked to Leonardo Marques about the paper he co-authored with Tingting Yan and Lee Matthews entitled “Knowledge diffusion in a global supply network: A network of practice view”
“This study investigates how knowledge diffusion occurs in a globally dispersed supply network, wherein buying firms and suppliers often do not have strong relationships and competitive tensions prevail. We elaborate the Network of Practice (NoP) view by examining a global supply network in the food sector that is as an exemplar of high global dispersion. This paper provides several novel insights into global knowledge diffusion. We introduce the NoP concept of homophily into the field of supply chain management to explain knowledge diffusion within global supply networks. We take a longitudinal perspective to show that although prior contractual ties (relational homophily) and co-location (location homophily) initially drive knowledge diffusion, inthe long-term, shared practices (practice homophily) are the principal driver of knowledge diffusion. We demonstrate that buying firms’ assurance of procedural justice, together with the predominance of geographically dispersed suppliers and the emergence of nexus members, can help dampen supplier resistance to knowledge diffusion. The study shows that knowledge diffusion in a global supply NoP occurs in two complementary forms - broadcasting forums and action groups - which vary in breadth, depth, and tie diversity. Ultimately, we present vertical (buyer-supplier), horizontal (supplier-supplier), and diagonal (non-competitive) relationships as important refinements of the NoP view that characterize a global supply NoP. Overall, our findings offer a path for buying firms to establish adequate online infrastructure to support the emergence of decentralized and self-organized knowledge diffusion in a globally dispersed supply network.”
The full article can be found here:https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jscm.12214
https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12214
We talked to Evelien Reusen about the paper she co-authored with Kristof Stouthuysen Filip Roodhooft, Alexandra Van den Abbeele and Hendrik Slabbinck entitled “Imitation Of Management Practices In Supply Networks: Relational And Environmental Effects”
“This study investigates the imitative use of management practices across a multitier supply network. Although imitation may take the form of any management practice, operationally, we focus on whether the buyer's control practices used with first‐tier suppliers results in similar control practices being used by these first‐tier suppliers with the second‐tier suppliers. Drawing on institutional theory, we identify relational context (i.e., affective commitment) and environmental context (i.e., environmental uncertainty) as two important factors influencing the extent to which such imitation takes place. Using unique survey data of vertically linked supply chain triads, we generally find support for the occurrence of imitation and more so in cases of high affective commitment. The results regarding environmental uncertainty further reveal selectivity in imitative behavior, calling attention to the level of deliberateness in imitation decisions in supply networks. Besides contributing to theory on imitative behaviors in the supply chain, this study also generates practical implications on the spread of management practices across multiple tiers.”
The full article can be accessed here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jscm.12216
We talked to Fabrice Lumineau and Nuno Oliveira about their recent research entitled “Reinvigorating the study of opportunism in supply chain management”
“Opportunism is a core issue in supply chain management. However, assumption‐omitted testing and a focus on general opportunism as opposed to specific forms of opportunism have stubbornly limited our understanding of this construct. Grounded in a review of empirical studies of opportunism, we identify empirical challenges that perpetuate conceptual limitations in the study of opportunism in supply chains. Hence, we provide suggestions about research designs and data sources that support an agenda that steers research to refine and develop the theory about opportunism. Our call for a reinvigoration of the study of opportunism supports rigor – by discussing research design and data sources – and relevance – by identifying topics for future supply chain research.”
Full details can be found here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jscm.12215
https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12215
We featured a paper from our third EDI “Emerging Approaches for Developing SCM Theory” we talk to Pratima Bansal about her recent research with Jury Gualandris and Nahyun Kim “Theorizing Supply Chains with Qualitative Big Data and Topic Modeling”
“The availability of Big Data has opened up opportunities to study supply chains. Whereas most scholars look to quantitative Big Data to build theoretical insights, in this paper we illustrate the value of qualitative Big Data. We begin by describing the nature and properties of qualitative Big Data. Then, we explain how one specific method, topic modeling, is particularly useful in theorizing supply chains. Topic modeling identifies co‐occurring words in qualitative Big Data, which can reveal new constructs that are difficult to see in such volume of data. Analyzing the relationships among constructs or their descriptive content can help to understand and explain how supply chains emerge, function, and adapt over time. As topic modeling has not yet been used to theorize supply chains, we illustrate the use of this method and its relevance for future research by unpacking two papers published in organizational theory journals.”
The full article can be accessed here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jscm.12224
https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12224
We featured a paper from our third EDI “Emerging Approaches for Developing SCM Theory” we talk to Vikram Bhakoo about his recent research with Cynthia Hardy and Steve Maguire entitled “A New Methodology for Supply Chain Management: Discourse Analysis and its Potential for Theoretical Advancement”
“This paper responds to recent calls for methodological diversification and “in‐house” theory development within the discipline of SCM, by introducing discourse analysis to readers of the Journal of Supply Chain Management. One of the merits of discourse analysis is the way in which it “problematizes” taken‐for‐granted aspects of organizational life, including supply chains, to show that what we assume to be natural, inevitable and beneficial is rarely quite so straightforward as it may seem. In addition, through the way in which it emphasizes the interrogation of meaning, discourse analysis can broaden conceptualizations of the supply chain to include actors that have previously been overlooked, such as employees, workers, not‐for‐profit organizations, regulators, consumers, and the media. Using examples that are familiar to SCM researchers—the discourses of lean, sustainability, modern slavery, and big data—we illustrate how discourse analysis can help to theorize SCM phenomena by problematizing established meanings and revealing how they reproduce power relations among actors. We then show how insights from discourse analysis can complement existing theories of the supply chain and, in so doing, potentially rejuvenate the field of SCM by inspiring novel theory development, opening up different empirical settings, and promoting new ways of analyzing qualitative data.”
Full article can be found here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jscm.12222
https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12222
We featured a paper from our third EDI “Re‐imagining supply chain challenges through critical engaged research” we talk to Anne Touboulic Lucy McCarthy and Lee Matthews about their research.
“In this manuscript, we explore how engaged research can support the development of the theory and practice of supply chain management (SCM) and present critical engaged research as an extended form of engaged research. The article’s main purpose is to examine more closely the relationship between critical engaged research and the process of theorizing. This essay presents an expanded model of knowledge production for the field of SCM and explores the opportunities for the production and co‐production of new knowledge types, with an emphasis on knowledge produced through a critical engagement with practice. We offer a discussion on how critical engaged research may be applied in SCM research to build, elaborate and test theory.”
The full article can be accessed here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jscm.12226
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12226
We talked to Anne Quarshie and Rudolf Leuschner about their research entitled “Interorganizational Interaction in Disaster Response Networks: A Government Perspective”
“Governments play important roles as focal organizations in many interorganizational networks. However, the government perspective has largely been overlooked in the literature on supply networks, including research on humanitarian operations and logistics. So far, little attention has been devoted to how government agencies and other actors interact within complex networks. In this study, we use a qualitative research approach to study interorganizational interaction in the context of a major U.S. disaster: Hurricane Sandy. Specifically, we investigate the relatively successful Sandy response effort conducted by the New Jersey state government in interaction with other humanitarian actors. We find that the government took three main roles in interacting with other actors within the disaster response network: organizer, facilitator, and supply network member. Moreover, we develop a grounded model that provides a theoretical explanation of the interaction process and highlights the practices used by the government during the response stage. In addition to contributing to the humanitarian research domain, our study advances the emerging discourse on networks whose focal actors are not for‐profit firms.”
The full article can be found here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jscm.12225
https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12225
We talked to Robert Suurmond about his recent research with Finn Wynstra and Jan Dul entitled “Unraveling the dimensions of supplier involvement and their effects on NPD performance: a meta‐analysis “
“We study the relationship between supplier involvement in New Product Development and performance. The current literature is scattered and fragmented with studies reporting mixed empirical evidence for a variety of concepts related to ‘Early Supplier Involvement’. We conduct a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the existing literature to reconcile conflicted findings, revise and refine theoretical perspectives, and provide evidence‐based scholarly and practical implications. To achieve these aims, we unravel the general relationship by considering three factors. First, we delineate different types of performance outcomes, mainly related to NPD efficiency (e.g., speed) and NPD effectiveness (e.g., product quality). Second, we distinguish between the moment and the extent of supplier involvement, related to different theoretical perspectives on external knowledge integration. Third, we disentangle multiple levels of analysis that are seemingly obscured in the literature, specifically the project and organizational levels. We find that extensive supplier involvement has positive effects on NPD efficiency and effectiveness, whereas earlier supplier involvement only to some degree affects NPD efficiency and not effectiveness. In conclusion, our meta‐analysis based on 11,420 observations from 51 studies provides strong theoretical and practical insights on the important phenomenon of supplier involvement.”
The Full Article can be found here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jscm.12221
https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12221
We talked to Paul Skilton about his recent research with Ednilson Bernardes Mei Li and Steven A. Creek entitled “The Structure of Absorptive Capacity in Three Product Development Strategies”
“This study develops and tests theory about different forms of absorptive capacity that support radical, differentiation and imitation product development strategies. Absorptive capacity theory provides a generalized explanation for how firms exploit their embeddedness in relationships with buyers and suppliers. We develop and test theory that relates combinations of four components of absorptive capacity (R&D capability, product development capability, cooperative embeddedness and competitive embeddedness) to success rates in three product development strategies. We used data from the American pharmaceutical industry to estimate generalized linear mixed models. Our results confirm known relationships between R&D capability, alliance network position and the development of radically new products, but reveal different sets of factors that influence differentiation and imitation. We describe a previously undetected influence of competitive embeddedness on the development of radically new products, a contrasting absorptive capacity structure for generic product development, and a mixed structure for differentiated product development.”
The Full Article can be found here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jscm.12223
https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12223
We talked to Pamela Manhart about her recent research with James Summers and Jennifer Blackhurst's recent research entitled “A meta‐analytic review of supply chain risk management: Assessing buffering and bridging strategies and firm performance”
“Supply chain risk management has received considerable attention as firms experience more frequent and severe impact disruptions. We meta‐analytically test the Bode et al. (2011) framework of buffering and bridging supply chain risk management strategies to determine their effect on supply chain risk management. We analyze the supply chain risk management literature to find that both buffering and bridging strategies contribute to supply chain risk management. We also address the benefit of supply chain risk management. Results indicate that supply chain risk management provides a strong contribution to overall firm performance. Additionally, we identify cultural differences of these relationships. Although supply chain risk management strategies may be applied universally, their efficacy varies by culture. In conclusion, we identify and provide guidance for future work.”
Full Article link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jscm.12219
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12219
We talked to Jessica L. Darby about her research with David J. Ketchen Jr. Brent D. Williams and Travis Tokar entitled “The implications of firm‐specific policy risk, policy uncertainty, and industry factors for inventory: A resource dependence perspective”
“The risk created by government policymaking can be daunting, but little is known about the extent to which this risk is disruptive to business in general and to supply chain operations in particular. Because government is a powerful and omnipresent entity, scholars and executives alike could benefit from greater understanding of how firms react to risk emanating from the policymaking process. To help address this gap, we use resource dependence theory to develop hypotheses concerning the accumulation of inventory by firms to buffer against their exposure to potential policy changes and how such a link might be moderated by macro‐level and industry‐level factors. Data from 19,634 firm‐year observations reveal that firms accumulate more inventory as a buffer against policy risk under conditions of high policy uncertainty and high industry dynamism. Overall, our findings support the predictions of resource dependence theory and refine understanding of supply chain responses to macro‐level uncertainty by demonstrating the contingent influence of government policy. In doing so, our study provides a foundation for future research to explore the intersections between government actions and supply chain activities and offers insights for managers and policymakers about how to factor government into their decision calculi.”
Full Article can be found here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jscm.12229
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12229
We talked to Rejaul Hasan, Marguerite Moore and Robert Handfield about their research entitled “Addressing Social Issues in Commodity Markets: Using Cost Modeling as an Enabler of Public Policy in the Bangladeshi Apparel Industry”
“Global apparel brands that source production from less developed countries are increasingly exposed to risks that arise from human rights violations. Despite widely publicized factory safety failures, reactionary regulatory efforts remain inadequate. This situation is commonly attributed to unyielding downward price pressure imposed on factories by Western brands. To address this problem, this research develops a comprehensive cost model for low‐cost apparel production following a total cost of ownership approach. Comprehensive production data for cotton T‐shirts from nine Bangladeshi factories provide the basis for model construction. The model reveals that materials generate the bulk of production costs (77%) for a T‐shirt, in contrast to worker wages which generate only 2 percent of the total production cost per unit (e.g., 16 cents out of a $8USD retail price). The TCO provides fundamental insights, grounded in real data, to guide policy and regulation among stakeholders in high‐risk, low‐cost supply chains. Based on the research context, results are considered through the lens of agency theory to provide managerial implications for relevant stakeholders.”
The Full Article can be found here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jscm.12228
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12228
Robert Wiedmer Judith M. Whipple Stanley E. Griffis Clay M. Voorhees
”When faced with potential resource scarcities, purchasing managers have to make decisions regarding how to react to such scarcity threats. This can be challenging as there is often uncertainty surrounding the potential scarcity. Buyers’ mitigation decisions are impacted by their perceptions, which may lead to potentially ineffective mitigation responses. Resource dependence theory as well as supply chain literature emphasize the importance of collaborating with supply chain partners to secure access to scarce resources. However, behavioral research argues that the scarcity mindset causes individuals to behave more competitively, rather than collaboratively. This research examines the extent to which buyers’ perceptions of scarcity threats affect the decision to act altruistically towards the major supplier as well as to choose to collaborate with a major supplier in order to mitigate the scarcity. The research uses a scenario‐based role‐playing experiment with respondents serving as purchasing managers. The research demonstrates the complexity of resource scarcity management and illustrates that when faced with resource scarcity, buyers are actually less prone to collaborate with critical resource suppliers. This effect is robust, regardless of the level of relational capital present in the buyer–supplier relationship and regardless of individual factors, such as work experience and previous purchasing experience.”
We talked to Niels Pulles and Raymond Loohuis about their research entitled “Managing buyer‐supplier conflicts: the effect of buyer openness and directness on a supplier's willingness to adapt”
Conflict has received much attention in the supply chain management literature, as it appears to be an inevitable aspect of buyer‐supplier relationships. While previous studies mainly focused on preventing or mitigating conflict, this study examines the micro‐processes of buyer‐supplier conflicts and the mechanisms that facilitate functional conflict processes. Specifically, we examine how a buyer’s conflict expression in the way disagreements are conveyed influences a supplier’s willingness to adapt its internal processes in favor of the buyer. By means of a multi‐method, sequential research design, combining insights from a case study and a scenario‐based experiment, we found that expressions of entrenchment by the buyer negatively affect supplier adaptation. In addition, a buyer that is direct, while at the same time expressing openness to the supplier’s position, is shown to positively influence supplier adaptation. We also demonstrate the mediating effects of the supplier’s emotions in these relationships. Our findings contribute to the supply chain literature by demonstrating the relevance of conflict expression in enabling adaptive processes. In addition, our insights into the interplay between different expression dimensions extend conflict expression theory.
Full link here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jscm.12240
https://doi.org/10.1111/jscm.12240