Joe B. Hanna

Minimizing supply chain disruption risk through enhanced flexibility

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of a strategic approach (contingency planning) to minimize risk exposure to a supply chain disruption. Specifically, the relationship between several attributes of a contingency planning process and flexibility are examined.Design/methodology/approach – This effort develops a model that will provide both researchers and practitioners a means of determining the attributes with the highest relationship to flexibility. The model is then tested using multiple regression techniques.Findings – Based on the sample used in this survey, top management support, resource alignment, information technology usage, and external collaboration provide the largest contributions to flexibility. Flexibility has been shown to enhance the ability to minimize risk exposure in the event of a supply chain disruption.Research limitations/implications – In this research effort, the multiple regression results produced an R2 of 0.45, indicating that additional variables of in...

Research in humanitarian logistics

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide future researchers with a framework for conducting research in the unique field of humanitarian logistics.Design/methodology/approach – The authors categorized humanitarian logistics research articles. Borrowing from the theory of constraints and management information systems literature, the authors developed a framework for research.Findings – The review of humanitarian logistics literature indicates that researchers have begun to lay the foundation for a core body of knowledge. While there is a growing body of research in humanitarian logistics, it is predominately focused on the area of planning.Originality/value – This effort categorizes past research using elements of logistics, develops a framework for research in humanitarian logistics, and recommends areas for further research.

Postponement: an evolving supply chain concept

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess and document the progress of postponement research, identify current gaps, and provide direction for future research efforts.Design/methodology/approach – Postponement literature published from 1999 to 2006 was reviewed.Findings – The review revealed a significant increase in the number of postponement research efforts, many of which at least partially addressed past challenges noted in previous research. Several opportunities to continue addressing these past challenges were identified. Future researchers are challenged to validate new postponement concepts and extend postponement research beyond its manufacturing context. Other challenges call for the continued assessment of the relationship between postponement and uncertainty and the investigation into the slow rate of postponement adoption among practitioners.Research limitations/implications – This effort is not an exhaustive review of all postponement research. This review does not consider unpublish...

Diffusion of green supply chain management : examining perceived quality of green reverse logistics

Purpose – Extant research has yielded conflicting results regarding the relationship between adoption of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices and competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to further investigate this relationship by examining the case of green reverse logistics (GRL).Design/methodology/approach – Through the lens of diffusion of innovation and resource‐advantage theory, the authors examine whether or not consumers perceive products made via GRL practices to be equivalent to brand‐new products in terms of quality. A survey method is used to gather data from a diverse sample of 533 participants. Data are analyzed via ANOVA to test the hypotheses.Findings – The findings suggest that consumers perceive products made via some GRL practices to be inferior to brand‐new products in terms of quality. However, participants indicated no perceived quality difference between products made with recycled materials and brand‐new products.Research limitations/implications – The findings...

An analysis of the value of supply chain management periodicals

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide rankings of quality of peer reviewed periodicals for faculty research use, rankings of usefuless of both peer reviewed and non‐peer reviewed periodicals for teaching and outreach purposes, and rankings of usefulness of search engines for finding articles.Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was conducted during the Autumn Semester of 2006. 82 periodicals were identified as relevant to the Supply Chain Management field. Respondents were asked to rank their top used journals in terms of use for teaching, outreach and research.Findings – A total of 143 surveys were completed. Journal of Business Logistics, Harvard Business Review, and International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management were the top three ranked journals in the composite index. EBSCO Business Source Premier, ProQuest, and Google Scholar were the top three search engines used to find logistics and SCM articles.Research limitations/implications – A clear global cons...

Research approaches in logistics: Trends and alternative future directions

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to track the evolution of logistics research with a focus on the methods and orientation of the research from the past to the present. Specifically, this paper investigates the evolution of logistics research methodologies in an attempt to address previous calls for a paradigm discussion aimed at assessing the current direction and proposing a future direction for research in the logistics discipline.Design/methodology/approach – The authors chose a previously established framework which describes and evaluates alternative research paradigms. A content analysis of articles in selected journals allows published research of the logistics discipline to be evaluated and categorized. The categorization process uses a two‐dimensional framework which then allows the authors to classify research into cells in a matrix which represent a variety of research paradigms.Findings – The results illustrate that the methodologies employed in logistics have evolved during the perio...

Reverse logistics disposition decision‐making

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to identify the critical components of the reverse logistics (RL) disposition decision‐making process and suggest a decision framework that may guide future investigation and practice.Design/methodology/approach – The authors utilized a problem‐driven content analysis methodology. RL literature from 2000 through 2010 was content analyzed to determine which components may impact a firms RL disposition decision.Findings – The authors extrapolated seven RL disposition decision components from a compilation of 60 variables identified in the literature. Practical implications and suggestions for future research are offered, and a RL disposition decision‐making framework is presented.Research limitations/implications – Although methodological techniques were carefully followed, the nature of a content analysis may be subject to author bias. Future investigation and use of the framework presented will verify the findings presented here.Practical implications – This study i...

ERP and the reengineering of industrial marketing processes: A prescriptive overview for the new-age marketing manager

Abstract The implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems enables industrial marketing management to pursue the reduction of marketing cycle times and enhance customer service. The use of ERP systems is closely associated with business engineering (BE), which focuses on decades of research to benchmark optimal business practices. A descriptive overview of ERP strategic applications for industrial marketing is provided along with case examples. An illustrative example of the streamlined sales order process is highlighted as well as managerial implications.

Reverse logistics: past research, current management issues, and future directions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the key issues faced by todays supply chain professionals when managing reverse logistics (RL) processes and compare these issues with the topics examined in extant research. By making such a comparison, the paper identifies areas of practical relevance that are being adequately addressed in the literature, as well as areas that may need further attention. Design/methodology/approach – The paper employed a Delphi method in order to uncover the most salient RL issues faced in industry, as viewed by practitioners. The paper then completed a systematic analysis of the RL literature in order to examine the degree to which topics addressed in the extant literature correspond with the framework proposed by Carter and Ellram (1998). Finally, the paper compared and contrasted the findings of the content analysis and Delphi study, which highlights areas for future investigation that may help to better align research with practice. Findings – In the Delphi study, ...

Enhancing supply chain solutions with the application of chaos theory

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to expand the base of supply chain knowledge by applying chaos theory principles to selected supply chain functions.Design/methodology/approach – Researchers borrow chaos theory from the natural sciences, provide a basic explanation, and then examine how it may be applied to enhance supply chain management techniques.Findings – Chaos theory principles are used to assist in the examination of forecasting, product design, and inventory management challenges currently facing supply chain practitioners.Research limitations/implications – Application of chaos theory to various supply chain issues and key functional areas may produce an increase in the level of understanding of supply chain ambiguity and how chaos theory may provide valuable insight into the effective management of supply chain networks.Practical implications – When applied correctly, chaos theory shows potential to be a tool that can be instrumental in helping explain why unpredictability occurs within ...