Business Commons^™

Supply Chain Success Depends On Workers, Sarah Schiffling, Nikolaos Valantasis Kanellos

Articles

2022 proved to be a difficult year for the people side of supply chains and the global transport networks that support them. Labour shortages and labour disputes put further pressure on systems that were already struggling with the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the impact of climate change. Amid high levels of inflation, workers around the world have been striking for better pay and conditions, in areas as different as healthcare, waste management, and teaching. For example, 2022 saw port related strikes quadrupling in comparison to the previous year.

Sustainability In Supply Chain Management: Using Drawings To Understand Undergraduates’ Perceptions Of Sustainability, Sharon Feeney, John William Hogan

Articles

Purpose – This paper presents an interpretation of freehand drawings produced by supply chain management undergraduates in response to the question: “What is sustainability?” Having to explain sustainability pictorially forced students to distill what the essence of sustainability meant to them and provided insights into how they perceived sustainability and their roles in achieving sustainability in the context of supply chain management. Design/methodology/approach – Students were asked to draw and answer the question “What is sustainability?” These drawings were discussed/interpreted in class. All drawings were initially examined quantitatively, before a sample of four were selected for presentation here. Findings – …

Dark Side Of Black Friday: The Major Drawbacks With This Shopping Bonanza, Sarah Schiffling, Nikolaos Valantasis Kanellos

Articles

Black Friday is upon us again. It’s one of the biggest shopping events of the year, although there are mixed signals about how successful it is likely to be in 2021. One recent study found that only a third of consumers plan to take part. The financial strain of COVID-19 is still evident, and inflation running at its highest level in a decade.

All the same, consumer confidence has been rising. According to GlobalData, shoppers are set to spend nearly £9.2 billion in the four days from Black Friday to Cyber Monday. This would still be a big increase …

Rethinking Research Methods In Operations And Supply Chain Management, Roberto Sarmiento, Garvan Whelan, Jan Sprenger

Practitioner Journals

A few years ago, a group of Operations Management scholars (MacCarthy et al. 2013) authored a thought-provoking paper entitled ‘The same old methodologies? Perspectives on OM research in the post-lean age’. Noting that the OM field is, by its very nature, close to practice and that the world is changing economically, technologically, politically and socially, they follow up with a pointed question (934): ‘Are our OM research methods fit for purpose for the new age?’ Amongst their many interesting views and opinions, they conclude that the OM profession must not make assertions regarding the supremacy of qualitative empirical studies over …

Physical And Digital Integration Strategies Of Electronic Device Supply Chains And Their Applicability To Eto Supply Chains, Claudia-Maria Wagner, Colm Ryan

Books/Book chapters

The growth in the manufacture and distribution of electronic devices presents a source of continuing innovation. Electronic devices are products that integrate physical forms (i.e. hardware) and virtual forms (e.g. software) to deliver value to customers. These forms are very different from a product design and supply chain perspective, but nevertheless they need to work closely together in order to create value for the customers. For electronic device manufacturers, it is important that processes are in place to facilitate the seamless integration of both forms throughout the engineering, production, distribution and support stages of the product lifecycle. This chapter examines …

The People Dimension In Logistics And Supply Chain Management – Its Role And Importance, Edward Sweeney

Books/Book chapters

It is widely recognised that the effective application of logistics and supply chain management (SCM) has a vital role to play in European economic recovery. Experience suggests that success in achieving higher levels of supply chain integration (SCI) depends on both physical and technical components (the hard-wiring), as well as human and behavioural components (the soft-wiring). There is significant evidence that the latter has been largely neglected by the logistics and SCM community. Furthermore, it appears that the majority of supply chain improvement initiatives by practitioners have been primarily concerned with technological, structural and process issues. This chapter …

Has Supply Chain Management Lost Its Relevance?, Natalie Descheres

Books/Book chapters

The context of business has changed dramatically over the last 15 years. The definition of need satisfaction, the shift from “dot to web” competition and the embedding of the organisation into a wider political and societal environment has transformed SCM contributions and the meaning of work for employees. Interdependence must evolve from the do-it-alone approach and yet the ashes are not proving fertile ground. In many ways, traditional models of management have not kept up with the changes and are taken aback by the complexity that surrounds us. Complexity is however not a feature of our world, but one of …

Where Next For Supply Chain Management?, Des Lee

Books/Book chapters

Supply chain management (SCM) has been so successful that it is largely taken for granted. Its success has been built on improving three key flows – of product, of money and of information – and on one core principle – core competence. What next for SCM? This article outlines the vulnerabilities that are embedded in modern supply chains and the unintended consequences of outsourcing activities that are not core competences. These consequences are global and have the potential to undermine past achievements. Finally, broad suggestions are made as to how these issues can be addressed and the areas on which …

The Rhetoric And Reality Of Supply Chain Management In Irish Business, Edward Sweeney

Practitioner Journals

A strong focus of NITL’s research activity is on monitoring the extent to which SCM principles and concepts are adopted by organisations based in Ireland. For more than a decade this work has aimed to develop a profile of SCM adoption, as well as identifying some of the critical success factors and barriers influencing firms in their attempts to improve supply chain capability and performance. This article explains the role of SCM in Ireland’s economic recovery and provides an overview of NITL’s latest findings in relation to the adoption of SCM practices by firms in Ireland.

Putting Supply Chain Management (Scm) Theory Into Practice: The Role And Importance Of The People Dimension, Edward Sweeney

Practitioner Journals

This article deals with a number of supply chain management (SCM) issues:

• SCM’s “Big Idea” – integration
• Divergence of Theory and Practice - the limitations of “hard-wiring”
• The “Human Chain”
• The Way Forward – asking the right question?

Logistics Ireland Conference 2010, Edward Sweeney

Practitioner Journals

No abstract provided.

Supply Chain Management, Economic Volatility And Ict, Edward Sweeney

Other Resources

No abstract provided.

E-Business In Supply Chain Management, Claudia-Maria Wagner, Edward Sweeney

Books/Book chapters

E-business is concerned with the use of the Internet to link companies with their suppliers, customers and other trading partners. As a business concept, it has evolved significantly since its introduction in the 1990’s in parallel with the rapid rate of development of information technology (IT) during this period.
Supply chain management (SCM) is fundamentally concerned with integration of activities both with
and between organisations. IT plays a crucial role in SCM as a key enabler of supply chain integration
(SCI). This chapter sets out the role of e-business concepts in the context of the supply chain challenges faced by …

Excelling In Supply Chain Management: Logistics And Supply Chain Management Excellence In A Volatile Global Environment, Edward Sweeney

Practitioner Journals

No abstract provided.

Supply Chain Management And The Value Chain, Edward Sweeney

Practitioner Journals

No abstract provided.

Supply Chain Management In A Recession, Edward Sweeney

Practitioner Journals

No abstract provided.

Preface To Supply Chain Management And Logistics In A Volatile Global Environment, Edward Sweeney

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Putting Scm Theory Into Practice: Towards A Re-Engineering Roadmap, Edward Sweeney

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Supply Chain Management And Logistics In A Volatile Global Environment, Edward Sweeney

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Towards The Sustainable Supply Chain Of The Future, Edward Sweeney, Daniel Park

Books/Book chapters

A working definition of supply chain management (SCM) – the Four Fundamentals
– was introduced in Chapter 1. This final chapter reflects on this
definition in the light of the detailed issues introduced in each subsequent
chapter. It provides a framework for looking ahead and identifying a
number of key emerging challenges that are likely to play a significant role
in the design and management of the economically, socially and environmentally
sustainable supply chain architectures of the future.

An Analysis Of Supply Chain Management And Competitive Solutions For The Island Of Ireland, Edward Sweeney, Claudia-Maria Wagner

Other Resources

No abstract provided.

Supply Chain Management Diffusion Among Firms In The Republic Of Ireland, Edward Sweeney, Claudia-Maria Wagner, Bernd Huber

Articles

The changing business environment has sharpened the focus on the need for robust approaches to supply chain management (SCM) and the improvement of supply chain capability and performance. This is particularly the case in Ireland, which has the natural disadvantage of a location peripheral to significant markets and sources of raw materials which results in relatively high transport and distribution costs. Therefore, in order to gain insights into current levels of diffusion of SCM, a survey was conducted among 776 firms in the Republic of Ireland. The empirical results suggest that there is a need for more widespread adoption of …

Supply Chain Management And Logistics In The Xxi Century, Edward Sweeney

Other Resources

No abstract provided.

Supply Chain Management Diffusion Among Firms In The Republic Of Ireland, Edward Sweeney, Claudia-Maria Wagner, Bernd Huber

Conference papers

The changing business environment has sharpened the focus on the need for robust approaches to supply chain management (SCM). This is particularly the case for Ireland which has a natural disadvantage of a location peripheral to significant markets and sources of raw material which result in higher transport costs. Therefore, in order to gain unique insights of current levels of awareness / diffusion of SCM and the potential impact SCM could have on the competitiveness, a survey was conducted among 776 firms in the Republic of Ireland. The empirical results suggest that there is a need for more widespread adoption …

Understanding Supply Chain Management, Edward Sweeney

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Competitive Challenges, Chain Reactions, Edward Sweeney

Other Resources

No abstract provided.

The Need For Wider Supply Chain Management Adoption: Empirical Results From Ireland, Bernd Huber, Edward Sweeney

Articles

Purpose - Empirical results are provided which suggest that there is a need for more widespread adoption of supply chain management among Irish firms.

Design/methodology/approach - The Republic of Ireland is a small, open, trade-dependent economy and is one of the fastest growing economies in the developed world. However, due to rising costs, there is an increasing trend in Ireland to outsource lower function manufacturing processes to lower cost locations but to retain high skill functions (such as R&D). This trend, together with other factors such as its peripheral location, suggests that supply chain management is critical from an Irish …

An Investigation Into Outsourcing Practice In Ireland: A New Direction In Logistics And Supply Chain Management, Aoife O'Riordan, Edward Sweeney

Articles

Companies are increasingly focusing on the development of core competencies as an integral part of their overall strategy development and implementation. The corollary of this is that functions regarded as being non-core are being outsourced. This paper investigates the case for and against outsourcing and in addition what is happening in Ireland regards outsourcing. Furthermore to analysis of current literature in
the field, an Irish-wide postal and e-mail survey, as well as three case studies revealed many interesting facts. The key findings of the work are manufacturing outsourcing is now the most popular function to be outsourced for both small …

The Financial Dimension Of Scm, Edward Sweeney, Des Lee

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.

The Evolving Supply Chain Management Context, Edward Sweeney

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.