Christopher M. Durugbo, Soud M. Almahamid, Lulwa H. Budalamah, Odeh R. Al-Jayyousi and Batoul BendiMerad
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic with unique regional logistics management (RLM) challenges to respond to the chaos created by the crisis and to restore normality…
Abstract
Purpose
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic with unique regional logistics management (RLM) challenges to respond to the chaos created by the crisis and to restore normality for operations and supply chains in home nations. The purpose of this article is to explore RLM in times of crisis from the perspective of public authorities responsible for combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The article also discusses the significance of crisis-driven RLM for humanitarian logistics and supply chain (HLSC) management.
Design/methodology/approach
Grounded on an inductive case study logic and guided by a constructivist perspective, this research involves semi-structured interviews with 15 managers and strategists responsible for the RLM of COVID-19 to capture lessons learnt so far from mitigating the transmission and spread of COVID-19. Underpinning the research is a conceptual RLM model premised on coordination, communication, and containment mechanisms (the 3Cs of crisis-driven logistics), as crisis response.
Findings
The study finds that the triggering of regional logistics in times of crisis for the COVID-19 case involves taskforce teams with centralisation for crisis readiness, information infrastructure with digitalisation for crisis protocols, and capacity calculations with orchestration for crisis scenarios. The study also finds that navigating the challenges for the 3Cs of crisis-driven logistics entails forward-thinking leadership for culture-based commitments, first-hand clarity for compliance-based campaigns, and far-reaching solidarity for compassion-based contributions.
Originality/value
This article addresses the gap in knowledge on RLM and potential priorities that underpin crisis-driven RLM strategies for HLSCs. The research is original in its argument for regional perspectives on logistics strategies that contribute to the “viability” and “integrity” of HLSCs. The research also uniquely focuses on RLM in times of crisis and proposes a conceptual RLM model of strategies for enhancing HLSCs.
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Christopher M. Durugbo, Zainab Al-Balushi, Abdellatef Anouze and Omar Amoudi
The dynamic nature of uncertainty sources in regional operations represents supply chain management (SCM) imperatives to review uncertainty management frameworks on an ongoing…
Abstract
Purpose
The dynamic nature of uncertainty sources in regional operations represents supply chain management (SCM) imperatives to review uncertainty management frameworks on an ongoing basis with a view to identifying and prioritising critical indices of uncertainty for effective SCM. The purpose of this study is to identify the critical indices of uncertainty for regional supply chains and analyse how SCM practitioners perceive uncertainty.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a Delphi-based study with a panel of 70 SCM experts from the Sultanate of Oman in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. It applies three rounds of a Delphi exercise to identify, select and prioritise the critical indices of supply chain uncertainty perceived by panel experts. The thematic analysis also provides theorisations on the process for uncertainty perception and factors shaping perception.
Findings
A total of 39 uncertainty indices were identified from demand, supply, manufacturing, control, technology, competitive, project, transport and geological sources. The Delphi selection round captured the top 12 indices of experts. The research found an accumulative–aggregative duality that explains uncertainty perception and a cost–conformance–connection triadic set of factors underlying the perceived critical indices. Project uncertainty produced the top-ranked index in the final Delphi round.
Originality/value
This paper makes three main contributions. First, it offers a bottom-up based insight into supply chain uncertainty using the Delphi-based study and from a GCC perspective. Second, the research is unique in its focus on Oman and, third, it is of value for the international operations of GCC companies and for international firms with intentions of expanding, moving or outsourcing their operations to a GCC country such as Oman.
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Zainab Al-Balushi and Christopher M. Durugbo
The purpose of this study is to propose a conceptual model for managing supply risk (SR) dependencies in regional supply networks (SNs). Grounded on resource dependency theory…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to propose a conceptual model for managing supply risk (SR) dependencies in regional supply networks (SNs). Grounded on resource dependency theory (RDT), the research conceptualises the management of SR as buffering and bridging strategies that enable organisations to redefine their SN to cope with SR and as a three-stage transformation mechanism.
Design/methodology/approach
Four supply failure case studies from the aluminium and the oil and gas industries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region inductively provide empirical insights for a revised conceptual framing. Within and cross case analysis on transcribed semi-structured interviews with 11 SN managers focus on the SRs and dependencies associated with the supply failures and an abstraction of risk management (RM) strategies for coping with these failures.
Findings
The analysis finds that underpinning ‘second-order’ buffering and bridging strategies from RDT are four main ‘first-order’ RM strategies: unit independency, organisational adaptation, network reconfiguration and environmental acceptance. These RM strategies are due to controllability and predictability levels that influence investment in RM and reflect the locations for implementing RM practices, i.e. the business unit, the organisation, the SN and the environment.
Originality/value
The article contributes to research through the conceptual framework of SR dependencies and unique insights on SR management within the GCC region. Practically, the research is novel in offering strategic directions for RM evaluations and investments that reflect the controllability and predictability of risk incidents. Such evaluations are potentially valuable in orchestrating regional SNs, for managing GCC companies in global supply chains, and for strategic decisions to expand or outsource to the GCC region.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore the orientations of collaborative networks (CNs) for managing integrated information flow. It seeks to analyse and shed light into the main…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the orientations of collaborative networks (CNs) for managing integrated information flow. It seeks to analyse and shed light into the main priorities of firms for sharing and coordinating information with CN partners. These priorities are needed to enhance practices to trade-off and integrate flows where appropriate for maximising profits and performance.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, inductive multiple-case logic is applied to research how six industrial firms manage integrated information flow in relation to their collaborative networked organisations (CNOs). Guided by an interpretivism epistemology, 22 face-to-face and 13 telephonic semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 key informants in six industrial firms. Interview data were analysed in line with the research agenda to understand orientations for integrated information flow.
Findings
The research finds that CN management is enhanced when flow integration for industrial firms is skill, project, agreement and relationship oriented. The investigation also finds that CNO flow integration could be enhanced when industrial firms confront and prioritise schemes for fluidity prevention, systematised templates, procedural prompts, implementation checklists, confidence building, issuance policies and concern separation.
Originality/value
The major contribution of this paper is an exposition on priorities for integrated information flow within CNs. It also offers insights that suggest industrial firms can boost the performance of their CNOs by: working in small knit highly skilled teams, tactically implementing manufacturability and marketability programmes, strategising their production contracts and strengthening their company-customer-supplier ties.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the knowledge existing in the literature on supply chain resilience for identifying the supply chain practices adopted for securing…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the knowledge existing in the literature on supply chain resilience for identifying the supply chain practices adopted for securing resilience in given uncertain event.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review is conducted to identify 84 conceptual and empirical studies. The research findings are synthesized in categories of uncertain events, supply chain practices and outcomes.
Findings
A set of propositions linking the uncertain events, mechanisms and supply chain resilience improvement is developed. It was found that the sufficient conditions for resilience under unexpected disasters are substantially different from those required for resilience against disruptions caused by internal practices or complexity.
Originality/value
Practitioners can benefit from the knowledge of interventions and mechanisms to improve their supply chain resilience in the face of different unpredictable situations. The contribution of this paper is twofold: first, it develops an actionable theory of supply chain resilience by developing testable propositions in the context of supply chains exposed to uncertainties resulting from unexpected disruptions, complexity of supply chains and adoption of certain internal practice; second, the paper highlights the key shortcomings of existing literature and provides opportunities for further research and improvement.
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Christopher Durugbo and John Ahmet Erkoyuncu
The purpose of this paper is to explore the evolution of industrial service uncertainties and the approaches for mitigating these uncertainties. The paper also sheds light on how…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the evolution of industrial service uncertainties and the approaches for mitigating these uncertainties. The paper also sheds light on how the interplay of potential uncertainties due to service operation challenges shapes the decisiveness of product-centric businesses.
Design/methodology/approach
To better understand how industrial firms mitigate uncertainties of industrial service provision by their supply chains, the authors adopted a qualitative multi-case logic methodology. The approach is based on a research model of uncertainty avoidance and uncertainty reduction which the authors applied in an exploratory study with three major multi-national firms in the aerospace industry: BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and Rolls-Royce.
Findings
From the analysis, the authors found that to mitigate industrial service uncertainty, there is a need for aftermarket-oriented organisation, audit-oriented governance, relationship-oriented intelligence and lifecycle-oriented contracts. The authors also found that value uncertainty originating from unpredictability in client needs and project scope and structural uncertainty caused by volatility and variability of business structures are also important quandaries in decision making situations of firms towards their supply chains for industrial services.
Originality/value
The paper makes two useful contributions. First, it provides an assessment of the nature of uncertainty within operations for providing industrial services. Second, the paper identifies orientations for industrial service uncertainty mitigation. Whereas product-centric businesses firms tend to vary in their states for uncertainty avoidance and reduction, the work suggest similar orientations for uncertainty mitigation across these firms.
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Christopher Durugbo, Ashutosh Tiwari and Jeffrey R. Alcock
The purpose of this paper is to explore the management of information flow for delivery reliability. It analyses how the integration strategies of traceability, transaction costs…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the management of information flow for delivery reliability. It analyses how the integration strategies of traceability, transaction costs and vertical integration that shape integrated information flow are managed during delivery processes of firms. While delivery reliability contributes to firm competitiveness, information flow is central to firms interaction internally and externally to facilitate delivery.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper applies an exploratory multiple-case study involving 21 delivery team members in three industrial technology-based firms. Informed by a multidisciplinary framework from literature, the study captures “what” and “how” existing firms manage information flow during delivery. Individual cases from the company were compared analysed to determine themes that drive delivery-related integrated information flow management.
Findings
The paper finds that case firms prioritised understanding interaction logics, maintaining process timeliness, review-oriented streamlining and communication-oriented coordination. The study also finds that for delivery reliability in technology-based firms, the interplay of vertical integration, market relations and long term, voluntary relations, especially through the use of small, dedicated and highly skilled team, is required to effectively manage delivery-related integrated information flow.
Originality/value
The major contribution of this paper is an exposition on practices for facilitating information flow integration. It also offers insights that suggest integrated information flow for delivery reliability could be enhanced through the use of customer-focused communication channels, context-driven documentations, multiple and alternate communication channels as well as intuitive and user-friendly documentation strategies.
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The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the benefits of using the business network channel (Bunch) approach for modelling business networks and studying the business network…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the benefits of using the business network channel (Bunch) approach for modelling business networks and studying the business network evolution. Business network models put the structures of process models into context by visualising roles and communication channels for social interactions.
Design/methodology/approach
The research applies a case study-based approach involving the creation of business network visualisations to capture snapshots of an industrial firm's business network over a three-year period. A questionnaire-based study was also conducted with 18 key informants to evaluate the Bunch approach against existing business network modelling techniques.
Findings
This study shows that when business networks – as opposed to business processes – are diagrammatically modelled, patterns of relations between individuals can also be visualised and factored into how information systems are (re)designed and deployed. The study also finds that as business networks evolve, the ability to offer complementary channels of communication and coordinate business/technological information is vital to how upturns in process times improves overall business effectiveness and efficiency.
Originality/value
The major contribution of this paper is an exposition on how the Bunch approach could serve as a pedagogical tool for gaining clarity on their roles and links within the business and as an analytical tool for studying the evolution of business networks in relation to roles, links, information technologies, business strategies and business network anomalies.
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João Henrique Lopes Guerra, Fernando Bernardi de Souza, Silvio R. I. Pires, Manoel Henrique Salgado and Anderson Luiz Ribeiro de Sá
The study analysed the aerospace industry, a traditionally important sector for the topic of risk management, from three complementary perspectives: the supply chain risks present…
Abstract
Purpose
The study analysed the aerospace industry, a traditionally important sector for the topic of risk management, from three complementary perspectives: the supply chain risks present in the sector, the mitigation strategies adopted to face them, and the characteristics (dimensions) observed in the SCRM process of aerospace companies.
Design/methodology/approach
The research employed a quali–quantitative method: a survey was carried out, followed by interviews with professionals from companies belonging to different tiers of aerospace supply chains. Interviews helped to interpret the survey data and understand in more detail risk management in aerospace companies.
Findings
The study presents a panorama of the aerospace industry in terms of risk management. The sector’s turbulent environment is described as well as the strategies to prevent, minimise or postpone the impact of supply chain risks. In particular, ten dimensions that have been identified in the SCRM process of aerospace firms are discussed. These characteristics influence the objectives of this process and are related to resources, roles and responsibilities, incentives, development of competences and skills, scope (internal and external) and approaches to integrate decisions and actions in the context of the supply chain.
Originality/value
Articles that address the SCRM process usually focus on the process steps, whereas this study investigated dimensions that transcend these steps but whose discussion in the literature is still fragmented. It also analysed a reference sector for the topic from a broader perspective than others available in the literature (supply chain risks, mitigation strategies and characteristics of the SCRM process). Supply chain members with relationships with each other were investigated, a desirable approach for SCRM but still under-explored. The study also answers calls for industry-specific studies and research on emerging countries.
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Maria Holgado, Constantin Blome, Martin C. Schleper and Nachiappan Subramanian
The purpose of this article is to discuss how the mastery of resilience in operations and supply chains plays a significant role in the transition to a more sustainable future…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to discuss how the mastery of resilience in operations and supply chains plays a significant role in the transition to a more sustainable future. Furthermore, it is supposed to propose avenues for future research on operational and supply chain resilience, interacting with the sustainability literature in our field.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual review of resilience and sustainability themes within operations and supply chain management research is conducted. Reflections on the topic are informed by relevant literature published over the last decade.
Findings
The major conceptual contributions are threefold: (1) This article elaborates on the understanding of operational resilience and supply chain resilience concepts and reviews their respective primary research streams. (2) It proposes resilience as the missing element in the pursuit of excellence in organizations that want to contribute to a more sustainable future. (3) The article offers a research framework that provides a future research agenda at the intersection of resilience and sustainability in operations and supply chain management research.
Originality/value
The article highlights gaps in current research and illustrates further areas of research that need to be addressed to maximize the contribution of operations and supply chain management research in supporting practitioners to achieve a more sustainable future.