Jasmine Siu Lee Lam and Jing Dai
Supply chain security has been recognized as an important part of managing business risks. The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology with systematic metrics for…
Abstract
Purpose
Supply chain security has been recognized as an important part of managing business risks. The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology with systematic metrics for logistics service providers (LSPs) to develop their security design to meet customer demands.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on a three-stage process of desk research, content validation test, and in-depth case study. The study demonstrates an integrated analytical approach which combines analytical network process (ANP) with quality function deployment (QFD), and then applies the approach to an international LSP.
Findings
A case study of an international LSP shows how the ANP-QFD approach can be deployed to understand customers’ expectation for security and develop tactics and measures with the aim to achieve the desirable outcome for LSPs’ security design.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to supply chain security literature and practice. This study is among the research taking the first step to use ANP-QFD to translate the customer requirements (CRs) for supply chain security into systematic metrics for LSPs to develop their security design. Results from such research into the development of security performance can benefit LSPs in terms of increasing the effectiveness and improving the customer orientation of security efforts. By extension, other firms can enhance their security design by referring to the case study and the integrated analytical method. The flexibility of this ANP-QFD approach offers leeway for firms to change the CRs and design requirements based on their unique circumstances.
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Bobby J. Martens and Frank J. Dooley
The paper aims to reappraise efficient consumer response (ECR) in the grocery and food industry to determine whether financial and operating performance improves with ECR adoption.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to reappraise efficient consumer response (ECR) in the grocery and food industry to determine whether financial and operating performance improves with ECR adoption.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses a time‐series multiple regression model. The methodology overcomes historical shortcomings in ECR and supply chain management research related to small sample size, one‐tier investigation, and short‐longitudinal focus.
Findings
ECR adoption has beneficial impacts for both financial and operational performance.
Research limitations/implications
Two limitations exist. First, determining the actual time of implementation for supply chain management strategies by firms in the food industry is extremely difficult. The method used to classify firms as ECR adopters in this paper is believed to be sound and unbiased, but errors may exist. Second, this analysis does not account for differences in the implementation level for ECR. For simplicity, a binary variable is used to distinguish firms adopting or not adopting supply chain management strategies (ECR). Further study is needed to determine how differences in the level of ECR implementation impacts firm performance.
Practical implications
The paper overcomes historical shortcomings in ECR performance research. The paper provides academics and practitioners in the food and grocery industry definitive evidence that ECR has beneficial impacts for both financial and operational performance in the food and grocery industry.
Originality/value
By placing greater attention on overcoming historical shortcomings in supply chain management research related to small sample size, one‐tier investigation, and longitudinal study, the paper improves upon previous evaluations of ECR.
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Suhaiza Hanim Zailani, Karthigesu Seva Subaramaniam, Mohammad Iranmanesh and Mohd Rizaimy Shaharudin
The security issue in supply chains is among the most pressing concerns that firms are currently facing. As a preliminary attempt to address this lack of empirical research, the…
Abstract
Purpose
The security issue in supply chains is among the most pressing concerns that firms are currently facing. As a preliminary attempt to address this lack of empirical research, the primary purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between security practices and the security operational performance with respect to security culture as a moderator.
Design/methodology/approach
With the resource-based view of the firm as the theoretical underpinning, the study utilizes survey data to test the propositions derived from the security literature and partial least squares for the analysis.
Findings
The research reveals four crucial practices of supply chain security that collectively affect a firm’s security operational performance among Malaysian service providers. It is also interesting to observe that security culture positively moderates the relationship between facility management and the security operational performance of the firm.
Research limitations/implications
Firms in emerging countries need to realize that supply chain security practices can result in significant benefits to their firms that can give them additional incentives to adopt these initiatives. This study may also help policymakers in emerging countries, in general, in setting appropriate policies and strategies, and Malaysia, in particular, for ensuring that it is a secure location for exporting cargo and giving assurance to the local and international investors to continue their investment.
Practical implications
This study will assist supply chain managers and logisticians to re-examine their existing supply chain security model by considering the selected supply chain security practices, which have a significant impact on supply chain security operational performance. Individual firms need to strategize their business model with the inclusion of security aspects, which will surely create a competitive advantage over other players in the logistics industry. Firms can develop the best appropriate supply chain security model that will benefit the firm, customers, and business partners, such as suppliers and local authorities.
Originality/value
The study highlights is the important role of the supply chain security practices to deliver high quality of service in terms of supply chain security operational performance in emerging countries. In addition, it offers an empirical analysis of the moderating role of security culture on the relationship between supply chain security practices and security operational performance.
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Hsin-Li Chang and Jinn-Guang Wu
The purpose of this paper is to develop a method to measure the difficulties of items required to achieve Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) validation and investigated companies’…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a method to measure the difficulties of items required to achieve Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) validation and investigated companies’ abilities to obtain AEO certification based on an empirical analysis of 201 supply chain-related companies in Taiwan.
Design/methodology/approach
The Rasch model was applied to convert the ordinal raw data collected from questionnaire surveys into values on an interval scale to measure companies’ abilities and item difficulties for AEO validation. The model was estimated using WINSTEP, which is an iterative computer program.
Findings
The study results show that self-risk assessment and the formulation of security policies are the most difficult items to accomplish for AEO validation, whereas establishing security facilities is the easiest task to accomplish. Additionally, a company’s ability to obtain AEO validation was found to be positively correlated with a company’s turnover volume and its number of staff.
Research limitations/implications
This research focusses on supply chain-related companies in Taiwan. Thus, the findings may not be transferable directly to other companies, circumstances, or countries.
Practical implications
Using the Rasch analysis, both company’s abilities and item difficulties could be measured numerically and compared meaningfully. The study results could be used as references for the government to create polices to guide companies to meet the requirements of AEO validation in the future.
Social implications
According to the study results, only 43.28 percent of the respondent companies have sufficient confidence to completely comply with all 26 security items for AEO validation; this implies that AEO validation criteria should be adjusted or some programs should be provided by the government to improve companies’ abilities for AEO validation, if the government genuinely wants to effectively encourage companies to obtain AEO certification.
Originality/value
This study introduced a method to estimate items’ difficulties and companies’ abilities for AEO validation with values on a consistent interval scale. Thus, a comparison between companies’ abilities and items’ difficulties could be graphically illustrated. The results of this study provide a useful tool to investigate whether the AEO validation criteria are appropriate for the potential companies that can apply for AEO validation.
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Sidse Schoubye Andersen and Lotte Holm
This paper aims to present an analysis of the various dimensions of naturalness that shape the consumption practices of parents with young children.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present an analysis of the various dimensions of naturalness that shape the consumption practices of parents with young children.
Design/methodology/approach
The study builds on semi-structured interviews with 17 mothers and fathers focusing on parental decision-making in everyday consumption from pregnancy to the first years of the child’s life.
Findings
Naturalness is a tool allowing parents to navigate in a world of risks and part of an everyday consumption practice that constructs and maintains children as vulnerable and parents as responsible. Parents perceive naturalness as something with three dimensions: familiarity, purity and culture. These three dimensions lead to different parental practices around consumption.
Originality/value
The analysis contributes to the authors’ understanding of parenting, childhood, risk, safety and consumption by showing how and why parents of young children construct naturalness as a three-dimensional ideal in their consumption practices.
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This article celebrates the 50th anniversary of IJPDLM, reflects on the contribution of IJPDLM to the field of logistics and supply chain management (LSCM) and discusses future…
Abstract
Purpose
This article celebrates the 50th anniversary of IJPDLM, reflects on the contribution of IJPDLM to the field of logistics and supply chain management (LSCM) and discusses future directions for the journal.
Design/methodology/approach
Descriptive analysis of manuscripts received and accepted by IJPDLM during 2015–2019 is used to provide an overview of the journal. Content analysis of selected articles is used to highlight important contributions of the journal. Changes made since 2020 are highlighted to inform future directions of IJPDLM. Invited articles are discussed and used to clarify future directions.
Findings
IJPDLM has made tremendous progress in informing and shaping the field of LSCM. Key issues addressed include sustainability and reverse logistics, omni-channel, e-commerce, retail logistics, risk, resilience, volatility, and complexity and digital technology innovation. The journal has expanded the use of methods beyond the typical qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the use of design science, experiment, conjoint analysis, qualitative comparative analysis, narrative analysis. The invited articles provide (1) a historical reflection of the purpose of the journal when it was launched, (2) new guidance on how to develop theories using literature review and grounded theories and (3) understanding of startups and supply chain ecosystems.
Practical implications
Some exemplar articles are highlighted to explain how IJPDLM informs LSCM managers, companies and policy makers.
Originality/value
This article explains the recent development and sets future directions for the LSCM field.
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Physical education, like most areas of education, is changing and taking on a new look for the 1980s. Physical educators, school administrators, and others making decisions about…
Abstract
Physical education, like most areas of education, is changing and taking on a new look for the 1980s. Physical educators, school administrators, and others making decisions about programs for children and young people are examining both current practices and forecasts for the future in this field. What they decide will profoundly affect the resources that should be a part of library collections for children and youth. Too often librarians and school media specialists have found it difficult to think about the kinds of materials appropriate for such collections because they do not have the knowledge necessary for sound selection. A major reason for this difficulty is that the area of physical education is usually separated from other subject areas in schools. Along with the industrial arts, domestic science, and the fine arts, physical education is categorized as a performative subject area. Classified as such, it is usually not thought of as something you ask young people to think about, talk about, or even read about; but rather, something you ask them to “do.” Yet, upon closer examination, there exists a small wealth of library materials for children.
As one of China’s most influential social platforms, Xiaohongshu is considered an underexploited market with significant user traffic. This study aims to build on existing…
Abstract
Purpose
As one of China’s most influential social platforms, Xiaohongshu is considered an underexploited market with significant user traffic. This study aims to build on existing scholarly work on social media marketing by conducting an empirical analysis of Xiaohongshu’s content to explore effective marketing strategies for children’s books.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses qualitative content analysis to investigate the marketing practices for children’s books on Xiaohongshu. By systematically coding and interpreting data, the authors identified core marketing strategies and their interactions among publishers of children’s books on the platform.
Findings
Based on viral marketing and social proof theories, the analysis delineates practices and interrelations among three key marketing strategy components: content creation, traffic navigation and sales conversion on Xiaohongshu. From this analysis, a conceptual model titled “Continuous ‘Planting a Seed’ of Interest: Strategies for Marketing Children’s Books on Xiaohongshu” was developed.
Originality/value
This research not only corroborates the existing literature on the transformative power of social media in marketing but also extends it by providing a focused examination of how these principles apply to the promotion of children’s books on Xiaohongshu. It also provides practical insights for publishers looking to develop effective marketing strategies.
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Ben Kerrane, Shona M Bettany and Katy Kerrane
– This paper explores how siblings act as agents of consumer socialisation within the dynamics of the family network.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores how siblings act as agents of consumer socialisation within the dynamics of the family network.
Design/methodology/approach
Key consumer socialisation literature is reviewed, highlighting the growing role that siblings play in the lives of contemporary children. The authors’ interpretive, exploratory study is introduced which captures the voices of children themselves through a series of in-depth interviews.
Findings
A series of socialisation behaviours are documented, with children working in both positive and negative ways to develop the consumer skills of their siblings. A fourfold typology of sibling relationships is described, capturing the dynamic of sibling relationships and parental approaches to parenting vis-à-vis consumption. This typology is then used to present a typology of nascent child consumer identities that begin to emerge as a result of socialisation processes within the family setting.
Research limitations/implications
The role siblings play in the process of consumer socialisation has potentially important implications in terms of the understanding of the socialisation process itself, and where/how children obtain product information. Scope exists to explore the role siblings play as agents of consumer socialisation across a wider variety of family types/sibling variables presented here (e.g. to explore how age/gender shapes the dynamics of sibling–sibling learning).
Originality/value
Through adopting a networked approach to family life, the authors show how the wider family dynamic informs sibling–sibling relationships and resulting socialisation behaviours. The findings problematise the view that parents alone act as the main conduits of consumer learning within the family environment, highlighting how parent–child relationships, in turn, work to inform sibling–sibling socialisation behaviour and developing consumer identities.