Christine Rutherford

Mitigation of supply chain relational risk caused by cultural differences between China and the West

Purpose – This paper aims to add a cultural‐relational dimension to the supply chain risk management (SCRM) literature.Design/methodology/approach – Inter‐firm learning and cultural adaptation literatures are reviewed, missing themes identified and a conceptual model proposed.Findings – The authors define the problem of supply chain relational risk (SCRR) and explain the cultural differences between China and the West, which form a subset of SCRR. They then propose cultural adaptation as the solution to this problem. Two missing themes are identified concerning the process of cultural adaptation between China and the West and the causal relationship between cultural adaptation and partnership performance.Research limitations/implications – This is a conceptual paper based on secondary data.Practical implications – Cultural differences between China and the West impact the relational risks facing Western buyers and their Chinese suppliers. To create a mutually beneficial partnership, it is necessary for bo...

Disruptions and supply networks : a multi-level, multi-theoretical relational perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework for the analysis of supply network disruptions and present a number of propositions to define a future research agenda. In doing so, it draws on a review of the literature regarding supply chain disruptions; relationship formation and evolution; and network formation and evolution.Design/methodology/approach – The literature review combined traditional contextual analysis with citation analysis and co‐citation, assuming a multi‐level, multi‐theoretical perspective.Findings – The findings highlight a paucity of empirical research regarding supply chain disruptions assuming a network perspective, highlighting the dynamic nature of networks and emphasising the difference between supply chain disturbance and disruption.Research limitations/implications – The paper stops short of testing specific hypotheses, providing a conceptual framework and a series of propositions from which testable hypotheses can be developed. The necessity of assu...

The Importance of Understanding & Designing Cellular Therapy Supply Chains

The objective of this article is to propose a revised conceptual framework for the analysis of the supply chains for cellular therapies that considers first the impact of supply and demand uncertainty on the supply chain pathway, and second the impact of complexity on the physical supply network configuration. We suggest a revised cellular therapeutics supply chain taxonomy that emphasizes the interdependence between product characteristics, supply chain pathway and network configuration, which we hope will facilitate structured thinking around the design of optimal supply chain strategies for different products.