Britta Gammelgaard

EXPLORING PROCESSES FOR CUSTOMER VALUE INSIGHTS, SUPPLY CHAIN LEARNING AND INNOVATION: AN INTERNATIONAL STUDY

This paper reports results from a study designed to assess the extent to which firms across industries and several countries lay the groundwork for and use customer value insight, supply chain learning, and innovation processes. The cross-sectional study serves as an exploration of the theoretical relationships among these activities and their impact on perceptions of organizational performance. Through an international survey study drawing on samples from the U.S., Sweden and Denmark, the authors find support for the notions that supply chain learning and innovation processes are driven by processes aimed at studying changes in customer value and contribute to perceptions of superior organizational performance. These findings have significant implications for logistics and supply chain management.

Schools in logistics research

In the logistics literature, it is stated that research results are produced almost entirely within a positivistic paradigm. As a consequence, there is only one school in logistics research, and it is based on the positivistic approach. It also means that the research questions are derived from the same methodological approach, which tends to produce similar questions and answers. In this paper, Arbnor and Bjerkes methodological framework is presented as a basic platform for analysing logistics research. By using the framework, it becomes evident that logistics research can be divided into two schools based on the underlying methodological approach. The schools are the analytical school, building on positivism, and the systems school, building on systems theory. Arbnor and Bjerkes framework also provides a basis for expanding the logistics discipline with yet another school, the actors school, based on sociological meta‐theories. Hence, the framework provides logistics research with a solid basis for analyzing existing research and a direction for future research.

Logistics innovation process revisited: insights from a hospital case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to learn more about logistics innovation processes and their implications for the focal organization as well as the supply chain, especially suppliers.Design/methodology/approach – The empirical basis of the study is a longitudinal action research project that was triggered by the practical needs of new ways of handling material flows of a hospital. This approach made it possible to revisit theory on logistics innovation process.Findings – Apart from the tangible benefits reported to the case hospital, five findings can be extracted from this study: the logistics innovation process model may include not just customers but also suppliers; logistics innovation in buyer‐supplier relations may serve as an alternative to outsourcing; logistics innovation processes are dynamic and may improve supplier partnerships; logistics innovations in the supply chain are as dependent on internal stakeholders as on external relationships; and logistics innovation process may start out...

Moving beyond the systems approach in SCM and logistics research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a paradigmatic reflection on theoretical approaches recently identified in logistics and supply chain management (SCM); namely complex adaptive systems and complexity thinking, and to compare it to the dominant approach in logistics and SCM research, namely the systems approach. By analyzing the basic assumptions of the three approaches, SCM and logistics researchers are guided in their choice of research approaches which increases their awareness of the consequences different approaches have on theory and practice.Design/methodology/approach – The point of departure for the research presented is conceptualization based on literature reviews. Furthermore, years of observations, discussions and empirical studies of logistics operations and management have also influenced the design of this research.Findings – With a discourse set in relation to the dominant approach in SCM and logistics research, the systems approach, it is concluded that the underlying ass...

The emergence of city logistics: the case of Copenhagen’s Citylogistik-kbh

Purpose – Many city logistics projects in Europe have failed. A better understanding of the complex organizational change processes in city logistics projects with many stakeholders may expand city logistics capabilities and thereby help prevent future failures. The purpose of this paper is therefore to increase understanding of how city logistics emerge, and secondarily, to investigate whether such processes can be managed at all. Design/methodology/approach – A paradigm shift in urban planning creates new ways of involving stakeholders in new sustainability measures such as city logistics. Organizational change theory is applied to capture the social processes leading to emergence of city logistics. The methodology is a qualitative processual analysis of a single longitudinal case. Findings – The change process took different forms over time. At the time of concluding the analysis, positive dialectic forces were at play. City logistics schemes are still in an innovation phase. The biggest challenge in m...

The joint‐Nordic PhD program in logistics

Doctoral education is usually considered to be a one‐to‐one learning situation with the professor on one side of the table and the doctoral student on the other. With the joint‐Nordic PhD program in logistics, founded in 1997‐1998 by a network of senior scholars from business schools and universities throughout the Nordic countries, doctoral students are now part of a learning network comprising other doctoral students and senior researchers. One of the program’s purposes is to establish doctoral courses in logistics to improve and secure the quality of research. So far, two courses have been completed: “Logistics in a philosophy of science perspective” and “Methods in logistics research”. The student response to the initiative has been very positive. The Nordic Research Academy (NorFA) and the participating universities have supported the program financially.

Managing paradoxical tensions during the implementation of lean capabilities for improvement

Purpose – Through the identification and investigation of the organisational paradoxes in lean, the purpose of this paper is to deepen the understanding of lean implementation intricacies, and contribute to sustaining lean in companies. Design/methodology/approach – Case study based on semi-structured interviews with participants in lean conversion from three companies in Denmark. The companies come from different business sectors: public transport, healthcare and finance. Findings – This study identifies three types of organisational paradoxes in lean: organising, performing and belonging. The study also points to a range managerial responses used for dealing with the three paradoxes and facilitating lean transformation. Research limitations/implications – This is a theory development paper which increases the understanding regarding the role of the organisational paradoxes in facilitating or hindering lean transformation. Practical implications – The study generates insights which help managers identify...

Disentangling supply chain management competencies and their impact on performance: A knowledge-based view

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to extend the understanding of supply chain management (SCM) competencies by splitting them into individual and organizational components and measuring their impact on SCM performance. Design/methodology/approach Hypothesized relationships are tested using structural equation modeling and bootstrapping mediation analysis based on a multi-national survey with 273 managers while drawing on the theory of knowledge management and literature streams of individual competencies in the fields of SCM and human resource management (HRM), respectively. Findings The analysis reveals that individual SCM competencies and organizational SCM knowledge positively influence SCM performance to a similar magnitude. Moreover, organizational learning enhances individual competencies and organizational knowledge significantly and equally while corporate training programs fall surprisingly short of expectations. The disentanglement of SCM competencies renders HRM’s contribution to SCM visible by revealing the impact of HRM and learning practices on competencies, knowledge, and performance. Research limitations/implications To validate the findings, future research could apply different research methods such as case studies and focus on more countries to reduce potential methodological and regional biases. Practical implications The results suggest that corporate training programs need further development. Organizational learning’s strong direct and indirect effects have two main implications: first, it should serve as motivation for organizations to constantly improve their learning capabilities. Second, these only tap its true potential for enhancing SCM performance if they first elevate individual competencies and organizational knowledge. Originality/value This is the first paper to distinguish between individual competencies and organizational knowledge on finely nuanced levels. While the organizational knowledge level effect on performance has been studied before, this paper extends this effect to also hold true for the individual level.

Logistics in the Oresund Region of Scandinavia

Much has been documented about the logistical efficiencies created in the traditional European trade corridors. Those corridors, spanning countries like the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, thereby create an important economic region of its own. This is, however, to the detriment of the informational content of decision making on site selection. It is also to the disadvantage of other important regions that offer unique competitive advantages to foreign firms trying to base their value proposition on location in the sub-continent, especially those regions that have not yet matured in their place-branding initiative. The Oresund region is one such logistics hotspot in Scandinavia, where “Oresund” is the name of the narrow strait between the eastern part of Denmark and Southern Sweden. The two countries have been connected via ferries for centuries, but economic integration activities really took off when the fixed link (bridge and tunnel) was established in 2000. The Oresund region not only performs the important logistical function of connection and coordination between mainland Europe, the Baltic states and some important parts of Central Europe—it also makes a good logistical location for firms that target emerging consumer needs around sustainability, green supply chain management, and macroeconomic competence and stability. This chapter describes the potential offered by the Oresund region by charting its development, documenting those of its main features related to logistics infrastructure and practices, and tracking its performance on all major levels of logistics decision categories.