Karthik N. S. Iyer

Supply chain B2B e‐commerce and time‐based delivery performance

The research empirically investigates the relationships among supply chain B2B e‐commerce, environmental uncertainty, organizational structure, and time‐based delivery performance. The results show that B2B e‐commerce enhances time‐based delivery performance. The process turbulence component of environmental uncertainty has direct influence on B2B e‐commerce implementation and an indirect influence as mediated by the integration dimension of organizational structure. Process turbulence thus indirectly has a positive effect on time‐based delivery performance, whereas demand unpredictability has no effect. Integration within the firm associates with B2B e‐commerce implementation, while decentralization and formal control are unrelated to B2B e‐commerce.

Demand chain collaboration and operational performance: role of IT analytic capability and environmental uncertainty

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to enhance the extant understanding of the IT‐collaboration relationship. The study aims to test the robustness of the relationships among the concepts of IT analytic capability, demand chain collaboration and operational performance besides investigating the interaction effects of environmental uncertainty variables on the IT‐collaboration relationship.Design/methodology/approach – Data for testing the hypothesized relationships in the conceptual model were collected through a survey of managers in manufacturing firms from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) membership directory. The survey sample included 152 responses accounting for a response rate of 28 percent.Findings – Findings suggest that while IT analytic capability associates positively with collaboration, the technological turbulence dimension of uncertainty enhances the above relationship. Market turbulence, however, was not found to have a significant moderating impact on the...

Aligning Supply Chain Relational Strategy with the Market Environment: Implications for Operational Performance

This study melds the relational view and the environment-strategy-performance perspective to develop a theoretical framework and hypotheses specifying how supply chain partnership strategy as a response to competitive intensity and product complexity may influence operational performance. Empirical findings support the conventional wisdom relating collaboration and operational performance. For firms in industries that market complex products, the study finds evidence of a direct relationship with all three supply chain strategy factors, that is, resource specificity, resource complementarity, and collaboration. Interestingly, competitive intensity is positively associated with resource specificity, but is negatively associated with the need for resource complementarities. The findings provide an initial strategic response framework for appropriately aligning supply chain strategy with market context factors to achieve operational performance improvements.

Operational impact of collaboration and resource specificity: the moderating role of technology context

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to enhance understanding of the sources of relational rents in supply chains and the nature of their relationships with performance. Using the relational view framework and contingency perspective, the study develops a model and hypotheses to understand the nature of the relationships of collaboration and resource specificity with operational performance under technology context contingencies. Design/methodology/approach – Data for testing the hypothesized relationships in the conceptual model were collected through a survey of managers in the Hoover’s database of manufacturing firms. The survey sample included 115 responses from a wide variety of manufacturing forms. Findings – Findings support the conventional wisdom relating collaboration and operational improvements. Notably, technological turbulence has a differential interactive influence on collaboration and resource specificity in predicting operational performance. In the former, the strength of the perfo...

Supply chain analytic capability: environment and performance

The research studies antecedents and consequences of enhanced decision-making capability fostered by advanced analytic software such as warehouse management systems and advanced planning and scheduling. The results show that analytic capability leads to better logistical performance (e.g. inventory turnover rates, length of the order cycle) and better operational stability (e.g. more consistent order cycles and warehouse throughput rates). The environment in the form of process turbulence and demand unpredictability affects analytic capability, logistical performance and operational stability. Process turbulence generally has a positive impact: it associates with greater levels of analytic capability, improved logistical performance, and more consistent operations. On the other hand, demand unpredictability has negative implications: it associates with a lower level of analytic capability, poorer logistical performance and inconsistent operations.

Performance impact of supply chain partnership strategy-environment co-alignment

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to enhance understanding on supply chain partnership strategy-environment context co-alignment and its relationship with performance. Using the environment-strategy-performance view framework and the supporting relational perspective, the study develops a model and hypotheses to understand how supply chain partnership strategy as a response to co-align with operating context elements may impact operational and overall firm performance. Additionally, the study investigates the interrelationships among partnership strategy elements. Design/methodology/approach Data for testing the hypothesized relationships in the conceptual model was collected through a survey of managers in the Hoover’s database of US manufacturing firms. The survey sample included 115 responses from a wide variety of manufacturing forms. Findings Findings support the conventional wisdom relating collaboration to operational and financial performance. While product complexity associates with the “building block” resources, resource complementarity and resource specificity, technological turbulence relates significantly with only resource specificity. Interestingly, competitive intensity associates differentially with the resources – positive with resource specificity and negatively with resource complementarity. The results also reveal mediating influences of resource specificity and collaboration. Research limitations/implications The research findings have to be considered in context. The moderate size, wide industry/firm diversity and robust research design notwithstanding, and the cross-firm nature can potentially obscure causal linkages. Besides, more comprehensive insights could be obtained by modeling the co-alignment of strategy with other factors in the operating context such as industry munificence, and market unpredictability. Practical implications Firms derive operational and financial performance benefits from close collaboration with partners since the operational enhancements from such relationships have customer service implications. Besides, the synergistic interrelationships among strategic partnership resources and their eventual impact on operational and financial performance is highlighted suggesting that firms develop a proper mix of unique and complementing set of resources and leverage them through collaborative behaviors. Importantly, the results provide a framework for managers to understand the criticality of aligning their resources with contextual elements to realize enhanced operational efficiencies, customer service, and financial benefits. Originality/value Much of the evidence on the rent generation capabilities in supply chain partnerships is still anecdotal and extant empirical research lacks adequate explanation. Thus this study offers an initial strategic response framework for an appropriate co-alignment of partnership resources with environmental context factors to realize operational benefits and overall financial performance. The framework answers the critical question: does a supply chain partnership strategy that matches “fit” or co-aligns with its critical operating environment context realize better performance? Additionally, it unravels the interrelationships among strategic partnership resources.

The Impact of Product Disposal Strategies on Triple Bottom-Line Performance in Supply Chains: The Role of Relational Resources

Sustainability, a holistic corporate responsibility, has emerged as a business buzzword and megatrend, to redesign the competitive landscape among firms (Carter and Easton 2011; Lubin and Esty 2010). The idea has led the traditional firm responsibility of shareholder value creation morph into a much broader perspective to envelop environmental and social impact of business operations (Closs et al. 2011; Hazen et al. 2011). Thus, firms are challenged to “reinvent” their businesses to adopt various sustainability strategies and become more environmentally conscious and socially responsive while creating economic value to their shareholders and customers. However, research exploring the relationship between performance outcomes and sustainability initiatives in supply chains is sparse (Hazen et al. 2011; Markley and Davis 2007). Thus, sustainability in supply chains is a rich area for academic research. The limited research so far has yielded conflicting outcomes on the relationship between sustainable supply chain management and competitive advantage or other performance outcomes (Kim 2011; Zhu and Sarkis 2004).

Performance Outcomes in Learning Oriented Supply Chains: Explicating the Role of Process Capabilities

In meeting the challenges of generating superior financial performance and maximizing customer value in intensely competitive environments, companies are shifting focus towards inimitable and tacit ‘how-they-do-it’ capabilities (Ramaswami et al., 2009; Rosenzweig, 2009). Success of supply chain management (SCM) as a strategy for competitive advantage and superior performance rests on developing such capabilities to relentlessly improve and innovate cross-firm processes, particularly those facing end-customers (Rai, Patnayakuni and Seth, 2006; Sambamurthy et al., 2003). However, despite anecdotal evidence, extant literature has little explanation on these pathways by which supply chains generate superior performance outcomes (Ramaswami et al., 2009). Literature implores investigation of such integrated process capabilities that create value in the marketplace (e.g., Rai, Patnayakuni and Seth, 2006).