- Leeds University Business School
University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT
UK - +44 (0)1133437945
Chee Yew Wong
University of Leeds, Leeds University Business School, Faculty Member
- Current positions at the Leeds University Business School: * Professor of Supply Chain Management Academic quali... moreCurrent positions at the Leeds University Business School:
* Professor of Supply Chain Management
Academic qualifications:
* PGCHE (University of Hull, 2010)
* PhD (Aalborg University, Denmark, 2005)
* MSc Manufacturing Management (Linköping University, Sweden, 2002)
* BEng Mechanical Engineering (University of Technology Malaysia, 1995)
Teaching:
* Various subjects in logistics, supply chain and operations management at undergraduate and postgraduate levels since 2003. Supervisions of PhD students.
Publication:
* Over 70 publications in the forms of journal articles, edited book chapters, edited special issues, conference papers, and reports.
* Published journal articles in
- Journal of Operations Management (JOM)
- International Journal of Production Economics (IJPE)
- Supply Chain Management: an International Journal (SCM:IJ)
- Production Planning and Control (PPC)
- International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management (IJPDLM)
- International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management (IJRDM)
- International Journal of Integrated Supply Management (IJISM)
- International Journal of Business Performance and Supply Chain Modelling (IJBPSCM).
Industrial / consultancy experience
* More than 9 years industrial working experience.
- Engineering design and supply management in electrical engineering industry
- Production and distribution planning in toy industry
- Distribution and warehouse design for beverage industry
- Implemention of activity-based costing (ABC), ERP (SAP) system, TQM/ISO9000, continuous improvement activities, EFQM Excellent Model, logistics outsourcing, CPFR, warehouse centralisation, and various supply chain management transformation projects.
* Completed consultancy projects
- Lean systems (City Councils, UK)
- Supply chain mapping (various companies, UK & Denmark)edit
Purpose - The objective of this study is to develop a comprehensive framework that synthesizes approaches and contingency variables to manage the sustainability of multi-tier supply chains and sub-suppliers. Design/methodology/approach... more
Purpose - The objective of this study is to develop a comprehensive framework that synthesizes approaches and contingency variables to manage the sustainability of multi-tier supply chains and sub-suppliers.
Design/methodology/approach - Using a systematic literature review, we analyse 39 studies and relevant theories to develop a comprehensive framework that integrates research efforts so far.
Findings - We build a conceptual framework that incorporates four approaches to manage the sustainability of multi-tier supply chains. We also identify several contingency variables (e.g. power, dependency, distance, industry, knowledge resources) and their effect on the proposed approaches.
Research limitations/implications - Based on the framework, we develop six research propositions that advance the theories on multi-tier supply chain management, allow lead firms to develop comprehensive sustainable supply chain strategies, and set the ground for future research in the area.
Originality/value - This study provides a novel framework for studying sustainability in multi-tier supply chains that goes beyond the single-tier perspective and incorporates the extended supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach - Using a systematic literature review, we analyse 39 studies and relevant theories to develop a comprehensive framework that integrates research efforts so far.
Findings - We build a conceptual framework that incorporates four approaches to manage the sustainability of multi-tier supply chains. We also identify several contingency variables (e.g. power, dependency, distance, industry, knowledge resources) and their effect on the proposed approaches.
Research limitations/implications - Based on the framework, we develop six research propositions that advance the theories on multi-tier supply chain management, allow lead firms to develop comprehensive sustainable supply chain strategies, and set the ground for future research in the area.
Originality/value - This study provides a novel framework for studying sustainability in multi-tier supply chains that goes beyond the single-tier perspective and incorporates the extended supply chain.
Research Interests:
Supply and production uncertainties can affect the scheduling and inventory performance of final production systems. Facing such uncertainties, production managers normally choose to maintain the original production schedule, or follow... more
Supply and production uncertainties can affect the scheduling and inventory performance of final production systems. Facing such uncertainties, production managers normally choose to maintain the original production schedule, or follow the first-in-first-out policy. This paper develops a new, dynamic algorithm policy that considers scheduling and inventory problems, by taking advantage of real-time shipping information enabled by today’s advanced technology. Simulation models based on the industrial example of a chemical company and the Taguchi’s method are used to test these three policies under 81 experiments with varying supply and production lead times and uncertainties. Simulation results show that the proposed dynamic algorithm outperforms the other two policies for supply chain cost. Results from Taguchi’s method show that companies should focus their long-term effort on the reduction of supply lead times, which positively affects the mitigation of supply uncertainty.
Research Interests:
This paper explores flexible service policies for an (r, Q) Markov inventory system with two classes of customers, ordinary and prioritized customers. When the on-hand inventory drops to pre-determined safety level r, arrival ordinary... more
This paper explores flexible service policies for an (r, Q) Markov inventory system with two classes of customers, ordinary and prioritized customers. When the on-hand inventory drops to pre-determined safety level r, arrival ordinary customers receive service at probability p. Firstly, the inventory level state transitions equation is set up. The steady-state probability distribution and the system's performance measures which are used for the inventory control are derived. Next, a long-run average inventory cost function is established and a mixed integer optimization model is set up. And, an improved genetic algorithm for the optimum control policies is presented. Finally, the optimal inventory control polices and the sensitivities are investigated through numerical experiments.
Research Interests:
Importance–performance analysis (IPA) is an analytic technique that generates a two-dimensional importance–performance grid, where the values of importance and performance across attributes are plotted against each other. This technique... more
Importance–performance analysis (IPA) is an analytic technique that generates a two-dimensional importance–performance grid, where the values of importance and performance across attributes are plotted against each other. This technique is used to assist service and other firms in prioritizing areas for service improvement when resources are limited. This study contributes to service theory by first performing a comprehensive literature review of four different and commonly used approaches to IPA. Survey data from the ports sector are then used to elucidate the value and the distinctiveness of these four different approaches, and it is also shown how the underlying theoretical assumptions led to somewhat varying, and contradictory interpretations. Subsequently, novel guidelines for integrating results from these four different approaches are proposed. The study advances service theory by detailing the integration of the different approaches to make sense of the importance and performance of diverse service attributes. The integrative approach developed in this paper also provides practitioners with clearer guidance for the application of IPA.
Research Interests:
Research on the effects of environmental management has largely neglected the importance of green service practices and their impact on environmental protection and cost reduction. There is also little knowledge on how service-oriented... more
Research on the effects of environmental management has largely neglected the importance of green service practices
and their impact on environmental protection and cost reduction. There is also little knowledge on how service-oriented firms may leverage their efforts in providing green services to achieve performance improvement through their existing environmental management system (EMS). Grounded in the natural resource-based view in conjunction with the contingency theory, we develop a model linking two key green service practices, green service delivery and green service support, to cost and environmental performance. The model considers the moderating role of the existing EMS that may affect the performance results of green service practices. This differs from previous studies that focus on the direct performance impact of EMS. Using survey data from 230 service firms, results indicate that green service delivery and support contributed to cost reduction and environmental performance. However, performance impact was strengthened by the adoption of uncertified EMS instead of certified EMS. This study contributes to the conceptual development of green service practices, the understanding of their impact on cost and environmental performance, and the role of EMS in supporting service-oriented firms to achieve such performance.
and their impact on environmental protection and cost reduction. There is also little knowledge on how service-oriented firms may leverage their efforts in providing green services to achieve performance improvement through their existing environmental management system (EMS). Grounded in the natural resource-based view in conjunction with the contingency theory, we develop a model linking two key green service practices, green service delivery and green service support, to cost and environmental performance. The model considers the moderating role of the existing EMS that may affect the performance results of green service practices. This differs from previous studies that focus on the direct performance impact of EMS. Using survey data from 230 service firms, results indicate that green service delivery and support contributed to cost reduction and environmental performance. However, performance impact was strengthened by the adoption of uncertified EMS instead of certified EMS. This study contributes to the conceptual development of green service practices, the understanding of their impact on cost and environmental performance, and the role of EMS in supporting service-oriented firms to achieve such performance.
Research Interests:
This research examines the individual and combined effects of internal integration (II) and external integration (EI) on product innovation. Two combined effects—balanced integration and complementary integration—are examined. Based on... more
This research examines the individual and combined effects of internal integration (II) and external integration (EI) on product innovation. Two combined effects—balanced integration and complementary integration—are examined. Based on ambidexterity theory, the combined effects of II and EI are theorised to facilitate exploration and exploitation of external and internal knowledge, and subsequently improve product innovation. Our analysis of survey data from the Thai automotive industry ascertains that EI and complementary integration are positively associated with product innovation, but II and balanced integration are not associated with product innovation. This research is the first to provide novel insights into how exploration and exploitation of external and internal knowledge can be facilitated by internal and external integration, and their complementary effects on product innovation, which was previously less understood. Our findings provide managerial insights for firms involved in supply chain integration implementation.
Research Interests:
"This paper identifies, conceptualises and measures the extent of logistics resources acquired by Malaysian logistics service providers (LSPs) and further examines the impact of such logistics resources on logistics performance in terms... more
"This paper identifies, conceptualises and measures the extent of logistics resources acquired by Malaysian
logistics service providers (LSPs) and further examines the impact of such logistics resources on logistics
performance in terms of customer service innovation and cost leadership. Based on data from interviews and a
survey of 123 LSPs in Malaysia, this paper uses factor analyses to establish five components of logistics resources
and capabilities – technology, physical, management expertise, relational and organisational resources. Further
regression analyses suggest that each logistics resource is positively associated with both customer service
innovation and cost leadership, and some of these resources are bundled together to enhance the two
performances. The paper contributes to the development of constructs and measurements for logistics resources
from LSPs’ perspective and provides theory-driven empirical evidences to explain the performance of LSPs."
logistics service providers (LSPs) and further examines the impact of such logistics resources on logistics
performance in terms of customer service innovation and cost leadership. Based on data from interviews and a
survey of 123 LSPs in Malaysia, this paper uses factor analyses to establish five components of logistics resources
and capabilities – technology, physical, management expertise, relational and organisational resources. Further
regression analyses suggest that each logistics resource is positively associated with both customer service
innovation and cost leadership, and some of these resources are bundled together to enhance the two
performances. The paper contributes to the development of constructs and measurements for logistics resources
from LSPs’ perspective and provides theory-driven empirical evidences to explain the performance of LSPs."
Research Interests:
This paper reports on an exploratory study of in-store logistics processes at retail stores, focusing on the factors that influence interactions between store employees and managerial systems involved in in-store replenishment task and... more
This paper reports on an exploratory study of in-store logistics processes at retail stores, focusing on the factors that influence interactions between store employees and managerial systems involved in in-store replenishment task and store level operations. The study used a multiple case study approach and collected data through 30 semi-structured interviews at six European retailers with employees across three hierarchical levels: shop floor, store management and headquarters. The study identified demand, supply and environment/structural factors as the primary factors affecting human and managerial systems interactions in replenishment tasks operations of ordering, data, shelf fulfilment and inventory. Although this study was exploratory it nevertheless identified important human resource factors affecting in-store logistics tasks and operations, and it provides suggestions for analysing and designing these operations bearing in mind the human resource element.
Research Interests:
"Purpose – The importance of supply chain alignment has been discussed since the birth of supply chain management (SCM). Yet it remains a major challenge for supply chains. This paper aims to systematically review the cross disciplinary... more
"Purpose – The importance of supply chain alignment has been discussed since the birth of supply chain management (SCM). Yet it remains a major
challenge for supply chains. This paper aims to systematically review the cross disciplinary literature on supply chain alignment in order to identify, and
develop constructs for enablers to alignment, and an associated set of hypotheses.
Design/methodology/approach – A systematic approach has been taken to the literature review, which ensures it is auditable and repeatable. The
selection criteria are clearly aligned with the review question ensuring all literature pertinent to the question is identified and reviewed. Relevant
information is extracted from the selected papers and synthesised into a set of hypotheses.
Findings – Six main constructs for the enablers of alignment are identified and defined: organisational structure, internal relational behaviour,
customer relational behaviour, top management support, information sharing and business performance measurement system. While the literature is
disparate, across different disciplines there is good support for these enablers. The relationships between supply chain alignment and shareholder and
customer value are also argued with the support of the literature. Although each of the enablers is argued to positively affect shareholder and customer
value, their interactions with one another are not well supported in the literature, either theoretically or empirically, and therefore this could be an area
for further research.
Research limitations/implications – While the hypotheses remain theoretical, it is now possible to test them and understand the relative
significance of the various enablers to alignment.
Practical implications – The significance of shareholder and customer alignment on the delivery of shareholder and customer value can be examined,
thus moving towards a theory of supply chain alignment. This is needed since in practice companies are struggling with supply chain alignment.
Originality/value – The existing literature on supply chain alignment is disparate and multi-disciplinary as this descriptive analysis shows, with 72
papers published in 43 different journals. Moreover, most of the papers focus on particular enablers, while this paper brings together six key enablers
from the literature to produce a set of hypotheses.
Keywords Supply chain, Supply chain management, Alignment, Enablers, Inhibitors, Shareholder value, Customer value, Shareholder value analysis"
challenge for supply chains. This paper aims to systematically review the cross disciplinary literature on supply chain alignment in order to identify, and
develop constructs for enablers to alignment, and an associated set of hypotheses.
Design/methodology/approach – A systematic approach has been taken to the literature review, which ensures it is auditable and repeatable. The
selection criteria are clearly aligned with the review question ensuring all literature pertinent to the question is identified and reviewed. Relevant
information is extracted from the selected papers and synthesised into a set of hypotheses.
Findings – Six main constructs for the enablers of alignment are identified and defined: organisational structure, internal relational behaviour,
customer relational behaviour, top management support, information sharing and business performance measurement system. While the literature is
disparate, across different disciplines there is good support for these enablers. The relationships between supply chain alignment and shareholder and
customer value are also argued with the support of the literature. Although each of the enablers is argued to positively affect shareholder and customer
value, their interactions with one another are not well supported in the literature, either theoretically or empirically, and therefore this could be an area
for further research.
Research limitations/implications – While the hypotheses remain theoretical, it is now possible to test them and understand the relative
significance of the various enablers to alignment.
Practical implications – The significance of shareholder and customer alignment on the delivery of shareholder and customer value can be examined,
thus moving towards a theory of supply chain alignment. This is needed since in practice companies are struggling with supply chain alignment.
Originality/value – The existing literature on supply chain alignment is disparate and multi-disciplinary as this descriptive analysis shows, with 72
papers published in 43 different journals. Moreover, most of the papers focus on particular enablers, while this paper brings together six key enablers
from the literature to produce a set of hypotheses.
Keywords Supply chain, Supply chain management, Alignment, Enablers, Inhibitors, Shareholder value, Customer value, Shareholder value analysis"
Research Interests:
Purpose - This paper examines the use of a qualitative data analysis technique, the documentary method, in the development of knowledge in logistics. The value of the method is illustrated through an example of its application in a study... more
Purpose - This paper examines the use of a qualitative data analysis technique, the documentary method, in the development of knowledge in logistics. The value of the method is illustrated through an example of its application in a study of in-store logistics processes at six leading European retail stores.
Design/methodology/approach - Extant literature is outlined regarding philosophical underpinnings of the documentary method and is followed by
an explanation of the method and its application. Finally, an illustration is provided of its adaptation and use in a logistics research project.
Findings - Drawing on a social constructionist approach, the documentary method can add to the development of logistics research by
providing rich descriptions of actual practice, problems and issues in logistic processes – compared to the stated goals of such processes.
Research limitations/implications - The documentary method is not suitable for all areas of logistics research and will need certain adaptations and adjustments when transferred into particular research contexts. In addition, the research question, philosophical stance, and knowledge of qualitative
methodologies will ultimately determine the appropriateness of the technique.
Originality/value - The paper presents the first application of the documentary method in the field of logistics.
Keywords: Qualitative Research, Social Constructionism, Documentary Method, Interview Analysis
Design/methodology/approach - Extant literature is outlined regarding philosophical underpinnings of the documentary method and is followed by
an explanation of the method and its application. Finally, an illustration is provided of its adaptation and use in a logistics research project.
Findings - Drawing on a social constructionist approach, the documentary method can add to the development of logistics research by
providing rich descriptions of actual practice, problems and issues in logistic processes – compared to the stated goals of such processes.
Research limitations/implications - The documentary method is not suitable for all areas of logistics research and will need certain adaptations and adjustments when transferred into particular research contexts. In addition, the research question, philosophical stance, and knowledge of qualitative
methodologies will ultimately determine the appropriateness of the technique.
Originality/value - The paper presents the first application of the documentary method in the field of logistics.
Keywords: Qualitative Research, Social Constructionism, Documentary Method, Interview Analysis
Research Interests:
"This paper extends prior supply chain research by building and empirically testing a theoretical model of the contingency effects of environmental uncertainty (EU) on the relationships between three dimensions of supply chain integration... more
"This paper extends prior supply chain research by building and empirically testing a theoretical model of the contingency effects of environmental uncertainty (EU) on the relationships between three dimensions of supply chain integration and four dimensions of operational performance. Based on the contingency and organizational information processing theories, we argue that under a high EU, the associations between supplier/customer integration, and delivery and flexibility performance, and those between internal integration, and product quality and production cost, will be strengthened. These theoretical propositions are largely confirmed by multi-group and structural path analyses of survey responses collected from 151 of Thailand’s automotive manufacturing plants. This paper contributes to operations
management contingency research and provides theory-driven and empirically proven explanations for managers to differentiate the effects of internal and external integration efforts under different environmental conditions."
management contingency research and provides theory-driven and empirically proven explanations for managers to differentiate the effects of internal and external integration efforts under different environmental conditions."
Research Interests:
"Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test the moderating effects of technological and demand uncertainties on the relationship between supply chain integration and customer delivery performance. Design/methodology/approach – Based... more
"Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test the moderating effects of technological and demand uncertainties on the relationship between supply chain integration and customer delivery performance.
Design/methodology/approach – Based on a survey questionnaire with 151 participants in the Thai automotive industry supply chain, hierarchical regressions are used to test the moderating effects.
Findings – Internal and supplier integration, but not customer integration, were positively associated with customer delivery performance. Technological and demand uncertainties were found
to moderate the relationships between internal integration and customer delivery performance, and supplier integration and customer delivery performance.
Research limitations/implications – The moderating effects of technological and demand uncertainties in the Thai automotive just-in-time ( JIT) environment are explained. This research
contributes to the development of a contingency theory of supply chain integration suggesting that the impacts of supply chain integration on customer delivery performance vary under different levels of technological and demand uncertainties.
Practical implications – Managers recognize the diminishing effects of internal integration and supplier integration under demand uncertainty, and the increasing effect of supplier integration under high technological uncertainty.
Originality/value – This study contributes to the supply chain management literature by clarifying the moderating effects of technological and demand uncertainties on the relationship between supply chain integration and customer delivery performance.
Keywords Supply chain management, Demand, Service delivery, Customer services quality, Automotive industry, Taiwan"
Design/methodology/approach – Based on a survey questionnaire with 151 participants in the Thai automotive industry supply chain, hierarchical regressions are used to test the moderating effects.
Findings – Internal and supplier integration, but not customer integration, were positively associated with customer delivery performance. Technological and demand uncertainties were found
to moderate the relationships between internal integration and customer delivery performance, and supplier integration and customer delivery performance.
Research limitations/implications – The moderating effects of technological and demand uncertainties in the Thai automotive just-in-time ( JIT) environment are explained. This research
contributes to the development of a contingency theory of supply chain integration suggesting that the impacts of supply chain integration on customer delivery performance vary under different levels of technological and demand uncertainties.
Practical implications – Managers recognize the diminishing effects of internal integration and supplier integration under demand uncertainty, and the increasing effect of supplier integration under high technological uncertainty.
Originality/value – This study contributes to the supply chain management literature by clarifying the moderating effects of technological and demand uncertainties on the relationship between supply chain integration and customer delivery performance.
Keywords Supply chain management, Demand, Service delivery, Customer services quality, Automotive industry, Taiwan"
Research Interests:
This article identifies strategic logistics resources acquired and bundled by logistics service providers (LSPs) to achieve competitive advantage. Based on a theoretical framework derived from the resource-based view (RBV) theory,... more
This article identifies strategic logistics resources acquired and bundled by logistics service providers (LSPs) to achieve competitive advantage. Based on a theoretical framework derived from the resource-based view (RBV) theory, contents of a database of company profiles of 15 selected LSPs are analysed. Results show that all LSPs have been acquiring physical, human, information, knowledge and relational resources and then bundling them together in various specific manners to create inimitable and firm-specific capabilities. However, only some of them performed well financially. The findings contribute to the conceptualisation and measurement of strategic logistics resources and the identification of resource bundling processes.
Research Interests:
Purpose – This article develops a theoretical framework to investigate the interaction and coordination of decision-making processes in a supply chain with multiple and inter-dependent suppliers and customers.... more
Purpose – This article develops a theoretical framework to investigate the interaction and coordination of decision-making processes in a supply chain with multiple and inter-dependent suppliers and customers.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents three longitudinal case studies on the decision coordination processes between a European toy supplier and three retailers.
Findings – The case studies found different mental models, decision-making behaviours, coordination behaviours and ordering behaviours even though the toy supplier and the three retailers observed quite the same material flow behaviours. The study found explanations for these diverse behaviours by analysing the mental models and decision-making behaviours of each involved party.
Originality/value – The findings explain the conditions which lead to undesirable mental models and decision-making behaviours which affect the coordination of decisions among supply chain members.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents three longitudinal case studies on the decision coordination processes between a European toy supplier and three retailers.
Findings – The case studies found different mental models, decision-making behaviours, coordination behaviours and ordering behaviours even though the toy supplier and the three retailers observed quite the same material flow behaviours. The study found explanations for these diverse behaviours by analysing the mental models and decision-making behaviours of each involved party.
Originality/value – The findings explain the conditions which lead to undesirable mental models and decision-making behaviours which affect the coordination of decisions among supply chain members.
Research Interests:
Knowledge in an organization often consists of aggregates of complex organizational routines that cannot be efficiently transferred or unlearned. It has been structured, systematized and embedded within the organization after a long... more
Knowledge in an organization often consists of aggregates of complex organizational routines that cannot be efficiently transferred or unlearned. It has been structured, systematized and embedded within the organization after a long period of operations. Therefore organizational innovation can be hard to achieve. Similar problems persist in the Chinese State-owned Enterprises (SOEs); they face difficulty in shifting from a planned economy paradigm to a market economy paradigm. This research investigates the learning processes of two parallel case studies which involved two SOEs and their joint ventures (JVs) with different foreign partners. The aims of the JVs were not just to gain profits, but more importantly to transfer new knowledge to the parent companies. The research reveals a two-stage learning process - learning within JV organizations and the transfer of learning to the parent companies. With this finding this article explains how the two-stage learning process could take place.
Research Interests:
In the last decade, research in reverse logistics has rapidly grown in both academia and business driven by factors such as economics, environmental legislations and corporate citizenship. Particularly in academic research, a variety of... more
In the last decade, research in reverse logistics has rapidly grown in both academia and business driven by factors such as economics, environmental legislations and corporate citizenship. Particularly in academic research, a variety of quantitative models have been proposed to address reverse logistics network design, a key area of research in logistics. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of the literature on reverse logistics network design during the period 2000?2008 and identify future research gaps and opportunities.
Research Interests:
Supply chain integration has been recognised as one of the today's competitive advantages in a global marketplace; therefore it is essential to research factors that contribute to integration. In this paper, we review the literature of... more
Supply chain integration has been recognised as one of the today's competitive advantages in a global marketplace; therefore it is essential to research factors that contribute to integration. In this paper, we review the literature of supply chain integration and then by means of multiple case studies in the Thai automotive industry explore the roles of environmental uncertainty and institutional norms in affecting supply chain integration. Results indicate that the implementation of supply chain integration is found to be associated with environmental uncertainty and institutional norms. This finding provides a new perspective of the implementation of supply chain integration under different levels of environmental uncertainty; and offers a framework for further empirical investigation of supply chain integration. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed, along with future research issues.
Research Interests:
Supply chain uncertainty arises when products are fashion-driven, in addition, seasonality, competitive and shortening life cycle. To manage supply chain uncertainty, companies know that they ought to become more agile, flexible, reliable... more
Supply chain uncertainty arises when products are fashion-driven, in addition, seasonality, competitive and shortening life cycle. To manage supply chain uncertainty, companies know that they ought to become more agile, flexible, reliable and speedy. Often supply chain reengineering projects are initiated to identify and manage supply chain uncertainty. However, during the reengineering process, two more uncertainties emerge – strategic and implementation uncertainties. Without overcoming these three uncertainties, it is difficult to transform the supply chain. This paper presents a longitudinal case study to uncover how the three uncertainties are managed in a supply chain reengineering project of a multinational toy company. Decision-making, risk (uncertainty) analysis and mitigation solution of the project are revealed. A framework was established due to the importance of anticipating and managing all three uncertainties and their interactions. The framework reveals how these uncertainties may be identified, analysed and mitigated.
Research Interests:
Updating of forecasts is essential for successful collaborative forecasting, especially for seasonal products. This paper discusses the results of a theoretical simulation and an empirical test of a proposed time-series forecast updating... more
Updating of forecasts is essential for successful collaborative forecasting, especially for seasonal products. This paper discusses the results of a theoretical simulation and an empirical test of a proposed time-series forecast updating procedure. It involves a two-stage longitudinal case study of a toy supply chain. The theoretical simulation involves historical weekly consumer demand data for 122 toy products. The empirical test is then carried out in real-time with 291 toy products. The results show that the proposed forecast updating procedure: 1) reduced forecast errors of the annual consumer demand, 2) determined timing for the commitment to subsequent replenishment during the selling seasons within acceptable forecast uncertainty, and 3) facilitated collaborative forecasting with more accurate forecast updates. However, during the empirical test, the forecast updating procedure provided less forecast accuracy improvement and it needed a longer time to achieve relatively acceptable forecast uncertainty.
Research Interests:
Purpose – Triggered by perceived inefficiency and inequality, buyers and suppliers coordinate with each other. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework of coordination process based on theoretical review and verifications from... more
Purpose – Triggered by perceived inefficiency and inequality, buyers and suppliers coordinate with each other. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework of coordination process based on theoretical review and verifications from three case studies.
Design/methodology/approach – The approach takes the form of three longitudinal and in-depth case studies, which involved coordination processes between a toy manufacturer with three European retailers in one calendar year.
Findings – The three case studies provided three main observations. First, the coordination process followed some basic sequential activities: evaluation, derivation, offer and negotiation, assessment, and implementation. Second, the coordination processes deviated from this basic sequence with an interactive coordination cycles of assessment, re-derivation, and re-offer and negotiation (called inner-helix) when there was disagreement. Third, closer mode of coordination, which involved joint evaluation and derivation of coordination solutions, reduced the numbers of iterative coordination cycles. These empirical findings verified the presupposed framework of coordination process.
Research limitations/implications – Three qualitative case studies may not be highly generalisable and multiple dyadic coordination processes may occur. However, the findings form a foundation for further understanding of the coordination process.
Originality/value – The proposed framework of the coordination process further expands the theories of inter-organisational relationship and the inter-organisational cooperative process. It also reveals that deliberate evaluation and derivation activities (and even jointly with other supply chain members) may significantly improve coordination.
Design/methodology/approach – The approach takes the form of three longitudinal and in-depth case studies, which involved coordination processes between a toy manufacturer with three European retailers in one calendar year.
Findings – The three case studies provided three main observations. First, the coordination process followed some basic sequential activities: evaluation, derivation, offer and negotiation, assessment, and implementation. Second, the coordination processes deviated from this basic sequence with an interactive coordination cycles of assessment, re-derivation, and re-offer and negotiation (called inner-helix) when there was disagreement. Third, closer mode of coordination, which involved joint evaluation and derivation of coordination solutions, reduced the numbers of iterative coordination cycles. These empirical findings verified the presupposed framework of coordination process.
Research limitations/implications – Three qualitative case studies may not be highly generalisable and multiple dyadic coordination processes may occur. However, the findings form a foundation for further understanding of the coordination process.
Originality/value – The proposed framework of the coordination process further expands the theories of inter-organisational relationship and the inter-organisational cooperative process. It also reveals that deliberate evaluation and derivation activities (and even jointly with other supply chain members) may significantly improve coordination.
Research Interests:
Purpose – The purpose of the research is to shed light on the evolution of distribution structures and its consequent implications for supply chain management (SCM) in the context of the emerging markets of Central and Eastern Europe... more
Purpose – The purpose of the research is to shed light on the evolution of distribution structures and its consequent implications for supply chain management (SCM) in the context of the emerging markets of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
Design/methodology/approach – A structured literature review followed by two case studies, which combine qualitative and quantitative analysis. Mainly in-depth interviews were used, with company sales data analysis in terms of variation and forecast accuracy.
Findings – It was found that CEE distribution structures are overlapping, and along complex traditional structures there exists a possibility for a more direct approach. This modern key-account approach improves supply chain performance, mainly due to echelon elimination and information sharing. The case studies also illustrate that supply chain demand distortion originating practices create uncertainty in demand, even in the case of modern key accounts. The findings therefore suggest that general SCM approaches of the “West” are evident and appropriate also in the “East”.
Research limitations/implications – Owing to the limited number of case studies, this research is considered exploratory. The presented two case studies are essentially illustrative examples of the distribution operations of two international companies in CEE markets.
Practical implications – For practitioners, the two case studies provide important insight on the nature of alternative distribution structures in CEE, and what the level of forecast accuracy and the demand fluctuation may be expected. It is proposed that the emerging opportunities for supply chain partnership development should be carefully reviewed.
Originality/value – The paper draws upon real-life data from emerging CEE markets with an approach that is not commonly used in distribution and SCM studies on CEE.
Design/methodology/approach – A structured literature review followed by two case studies, which combine qualitative and quantitative analysis. Mainly in-depth interviews were used, with company sales data analysis in terms of variation and forecast accuracy.
Findings – It was found that CEE distribution structures are overlapping, and along complex traditional structures there exists a possibility for a more direct approach. This modern key-account approach improves supply chain performance, mainly due to echelon elimination and information sharing. The case studies also illustrate that supply chain demand distortion originating practices create uncertainty in demand, even in the case of modern key accounts. The findings therefore suggest that general SCM approaches of the “West” are evident and appropriate also in the “East”.
Research limitations/implications – Owing to the limited number of case studies, this research is considered exploratory. The presented two case studies are essentially illustrative examples of the distribution operations of two international companies in CEE markets.
Practical implications – For practitioners, the two case studies provide important insight on the nature of alternative distribution structures in CEE, and what the level of forecast accuracy and the demand fluctuation may be expected. It is proposed that the emerging opportunities for supply chain partnership development should be carefully reviewed.
Originality/value – The paper draws upon real-life data from emerging CEE markets with an approach that is not commonly used in distribution and SCM studies on CEE.
Research Interests:
Demands for innovative products in short selling windows are highly unpredictable. This volatility creates demands with dramatic peaks and troughs due to risk-avoidance behaviours among manufacturers and retailers. The consequences are... more
Demands for innovative products in short selling windows are highly unpredictable. This volatility creates demands with dramatic peaks and troughs due to risk-avoidance behaviours among manufacturers and retailers. The consequences are high obsolete inventory, lost sales, and markdowns. Theoretically, the concepts of quick response and postponement are among the potential solutions for such as a volatile and seasonal toy supply chain. This study explores the role of responsiveness and coordination in improving supply chain performance. It is based on an in-depth case study in a European toy supply chain. Consumer and retailer demand patterns and their implications to the manufacturer's supply chains are analysed. Opportunities for relocating order penetration points (OPP) and quick response are simulated, and appropriate relocation rules are established. It is concluded that OPP relocation and responsiveness are beneficial but inadequate in improving the supply chain. Coordination of ordering behaviours is necessary. Coordination processes to achieve greater performance between the toy manufacturer and two of its retailers are presented. Furthermore, the concept of 'coordinated responsiveness' is proposed, which combines the concepts of quick response, accurate response and coordination.
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Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) and Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP) are no doubt getting more and more important for companies to compete in their industries. During the last decade, we see the disappearing of legacy EIS... more
Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) and Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP) are no doubt getting more and more important for companies to compete in their industries. During the last decade, we see the disappearing of legacy EIS and the emergence of EIS/ERP industry. ERP systems have now been installed across many different production and service industries, and have further extended their applications to cross-enterprise supply chain management. This revolution of ERP applications leads us to a wider research scope, i.e. the study of the supply chain of ERP systems instead of just ERP implementation. This special issue covers the whole spectrum of an 'ERP supply chain' ERP vendor value proposition vs. client expectation, ERP selection, ERP implementation, and ERP/EIS management. It also aims at inspiring further research on the design, development, distribution, implementation, maintenance, and support of ERP software.
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This paper compares actual bullwhip effects provided by retailers who shared downstream demand information and retailers who did not share in a three-level (divergent) toy supply chain. The toy supply chain faces high forecast errors and... more
This paper compares actual bullwhip effects provided by retailers who shared downstream demand information and retailers who did not share in a three-level (divergent) toy supply chain. The toy supply chain faces high forecast errors and bullwhip effects due to unpredictable and seasonal demand patterns. The results indicate a reduction of the bullwhip effect and an improvement of the fill rate due to the increase of retailers who shared downstream demand information. This paper also addresses two main causes of the bullwhip effect, which are the supply variability and limited use of the shared demand information. To reduce the bullwhip effect, two solutions using the shared information are tested. They are a proposed premature replenishment rule and a simple forecast updating mechanism. Both solutions are proven capable in reducing bullwhip effects of the toy supply chain even without coordination between the toy manufacturer and the retailers.
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Supply chain development can take place in several steps, from functional optimisation, then internal integration, dyadic integration and last, integration in chains and networks. Before external integration gives true value, order in own... more
Supply chain development can take place in several steps, from functional optimisation, then internal integration, dyadic integration and last, integration in chains and networks. Before external integration gives true value, order in own house must be achieved. This paper presents a case study of a Danish manufacturer that has gone through a major transformation process, and the paper intends to discuss how such a Business Process Reengineering (BPR) project aimed to achieve internal integration. The paper demonstrates how improved competitiveness can be obtained through a synchronous implementation of a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system together with BPR activities. From the very first day of the project, there was a clear focus on the construction and refinement of prototypes of core processes to meet competitive criteria. The paper provides further support for improving supply chain performance by creating transparency of vital supply chain information through ERP implementation and BPR.
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This paper describes a structural approach to assess the responsiveness of a volatile and seasonal supply chain. It is based on a case study in an international toy company. Fisher's (Harvard Bus. Rev. 75(2) (1997) 105–117) Model of... more
This paper describes a structural approach to assess the responsiveness of a volatile and seasonal supply chain. It is based on a case study in an international toy company. Fisher's (Harvard Bus. Rev. 75(2) (1997) 105–117) Model of “innovative” and “functional” products and the corresponding “market responsive” and “physically efficient” supply chains constitutes the backbone of this assessment. Four risk-influencing determinants—forecast uncertainty, demand variability, contribution margin, and time window of delivery are found suitable to assess the responsiveness of the toy supply chain. Assessment of the company's product differentiation model shows that toy products are mostly innovative or “intermediate”, but not functional. A proposed new product differentiation model using risk-influencing determinants has enabled the toy company to differentiate its new products, to deal with volatility, and to design for a responsive supply chain. These findings have also enabled the extension of Fisher's Model to volatile supply chains. This new product differentiation model adds a physically responsive supply chain for “intermediate” products into the Fisher's Model.
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Purpose – Just-in-time (JIT) retailers replenish continuously according to the consumer demand. Under unpredictable and seasonal consumer demand, it is essential to coordinate planning and responsiveness with the manufacturers. The... more
Purpose – Just-in-time (JIT) retailers replenish continuously according to the consumer demand. Under unpredictable and seasonal consumer demand, it is essential to coordinate planning and responsiveness with the manufacturers. The purpose of this paper is to study the coordination journey between a toy manufacturer and a JIT retailer, and generates several theoretical propositions on coordination process, behaviours and strategies.
Design/methodology/approach – A one-year case study to describe the unfolding coordination process between the toy manufacturer and JIT retailer. Rich case data is collected because the researcher is one of the manufacturer's project team members.
Findings – The coordination process followed some generic sequential stages – evaluating, deriving, offering, assessing and implementing of coordination strategies. Furthermore, the physical flow behaviours and the ordering behaviours are found interactively influencing each other. Especially, the speculative and risk-averse ordering behaviours have created cyclical excess inventory and low shelf-availability. Under such uncertain conditions, two counter-productive coordination strategies were implemented. The two parties later realized several effective coordination strategies – accurate response, differentiated responsive, and coordinated responsive. Moreover, the responsiveness of the manufacturer was actually affected by the order behaviours of all other retailers.
Research limitations/implications – There is generalizable limitation to generate theoretical propositions based only one case study on a dyadic toy supply chain.
Originality/value – Low-responsive supply for unpredictable and seasonal demand leads to irrational ordering and coordination behaviours, which create mismatch of supply and demand. This paper studies an alternate strategy – the JIT retailing. It includes the problems of coordination behaviours, some observed effective coordination process and strategies.
Design/methodology/approach – A one-year case study to describe the unfolding coordination process between the toy manufacturer and JIT retailer. Rich case data is collected because the researcher is one of the manufacturer's project team members.
Findings – The coordination process followed some generic sequential stages – evaluating, deriving, offering, assessing and implementing of coordination strategies. Furthermore, the physical flow behaviours and the ordering behaviours are found interactively influencing each other. Especially, the speculative and risk-averse ordering behaviours have created cyclical excess inventory and low shelf-availability. Under such uncertain conditions, two counter-productive coordination strategies were implemented. The two parties later realized several effective coordination strategies – accurate response, differentiated responsive, and coordinated responsive. Moreover, the responsiveness of the manufacturer was actually affected by the order behaviours of all other retailers.
Research limitations/implications – There is generalizable limitation to generate theoretical propositions based only one case study on a dyadic toy supply chain.
Originality/value – Low-responsive supply for unpredictable and seasonal demand leads to irrational ordering and coordination behaviours, which create mismatch of supply and demand. This paper studies an alternate strategy – the JIT retailing. It includes the problems of coordination behaviours, some observed effective coordination process and strategies.
Research Interests:
Purpose - Innovative products usually experience highly unpredictable and variable demand. This is especially valid for the volatile and seasonal toy industry, which produces high obsolete inventory, lost sales and markdown. In such a... more
Purpose - Innovative products usually experience highly unpredictable and variable demand. This is especially valid for the volatile and seasonal toy industry, which produces high obsolete inventory, lost sales and markdown. In such a volatile industry, what supply chain management (SCM) practices are applicable and effective? This study seeks to explore SCM practices, and identify practical and theoretical gaps in toy supply chains.
Design/methodology/approach - This article includes a longitudinal and in-depth case study during the past year in an international toy manufacturer, which includes qualitative semi-structured interviews and questionnaire with 11 main European toy retailers.
Findings - The study concludes that there are three main SCM practices for toy retailers in terms of ordering behaviours (one-off, JIT, and mixed model), and one dominated SCM practice for toy manufacturers (traditional mass-production or push-models). These low-responsive practices in the toy supply chain are not caused only by slow knowledge diffusion. SCM know-how is not yet capable of managing such levels of volatility and seasonality. Therefore, explanations of these theoretical gaps and what new theories are required for such extreme volatility and seasonality are proposed.
Originality/value - It reveals actual SCM practices in a volatile and seasonal supply chain, such that theoretical and practical gaps are identified. Also, it proposes a model to match manufacturing SCM-practices with retailer SCM-practices.
Design/methodology/approach - This article includes a longitudinal and in-depth case study during the past year in an international toy manufacturer, which includes qualitative semi-structured interviews and questionnaire with 11 main European toy retailers.
Findings - The study concludes that there are three main SCM practices for toy retailers in terms of ordering behaviours (one-off, JIT, and mixed model), and one dominated SCM practice for toy manufacturers (traditional mass-production or push-models). These low-responsive practices in the toy supply chain are not caused only by slow knowledge diffusion. SCM know-how is not yet capable of managing such levels of volatility and seasonality. Therefore, explanations of these theoretical gaps and what new theories are required for such extreme volatility and seasonality are proposed.
Originality/value - It reveals actual SCM practices in a volatile and seasonal supply chain, such that theoretical and practical gaps are identified. Also, it proposes a model to match manufacturing SCM-practices with retailer SCM-practices.
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Home > International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management > Volume 36 issue 5 > A framework of manufacturer-retailer coordination process:... ... Icon: Abstract. Icon: Backfiles. Icon: Print. Icon:... more
Home > International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management > Volume 36 issue 5 > A framework of manufacturer-retailer coordination process:... ... Icon: Abstract. Icon: Backfiles. Icon: Print. Icon: Reprints & permissions. ... Purpose Triggered by perceived inefficiency and ...
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This paper extends prior supply chain research by building and empirically testing a theoretical model of the contingency effects of environmental uncertainty (EU) on the relationships between three dimensions of supply chain integration... more
This paper extends prior supply chain research by building and empirically testing a theoretical model of the contingency effects of environmental uncertainty (EU) on the relationships between three dimensions of supply chain integration and four dimensions of operational ...