Partha Priya Datta

Information sharing and coordination mechanisms for managing uncertainty in supply chains: a simulation study

The study aims to investigate the effectiveness of information sharing and coordination mechanisms in reducing uncertainty. Supply chains are constantly subject to unpredictable events that can adversely influence its ability to achieve performance objectives. This paper primarily aims at managing uncertainties originating from unexpectedly large demand spikes. The supply chain literature is full of effective supply chain uncertainty management practices. This paper reviews the different practices for improving management of uncertainty and proposes several combinations of information sharing and coordination mechanism for reducing the uncertainty in supply chains. Next, the proposed combinations are tested on the make-to-stock supply chain of a paper tissue manufacturer using an agent-based simulation approach to show how the use of different levels of information sharing and coordination can be effective in managing uncertainty under daily operations facing a huge mismatch of actual and forecast demand. The findings of this research suggest that, a centralised information structure without widespread distribution of information and coordination is not effective in managing uncertainty of supply chain networks, even with increased frequency of information flow. Similarly, coordinating material flows without widespread information sharing does not improve supply chain uncertainty management. Central coordination of material flows with supply chain wide information sharing across different members is found to be essential in managing supply chains effectively under uncertainty.

Adoption of green supply chain management practices and their impact on performance: an exploratory study of Indian manufacturing firms

Research on green supply chain management (GSCM) or sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) has attracted increased attention in recent years. Although GSCM/SSCM has been studied for developed and developing countries, there has been little information about the adoption of GSCM/SSCM practices in India. This article presents one of the earliest surveys on GSCM practices in Indian manufacturing firms. The items for the survey were developed based on the extant literature and feedback from corporates. Some of the major findings of the survey are as follows. We found that the state of adoption of GSCM practices by Indian firms was still in its infancy, the awareness of environmental sustainability was quite low among consumers, and the regulatory framework was also lacking in terms of promoting environmental sustainability. Results of data analysis showed that supplier collaboration for environmental sustainability had a positive impact on environmentally sustainable product design and logistics, which in turn was positively related to competitiveness and economic performance of the firm. We compared the results with the observations made by other researchers for developed and developing countries and provided managerial implications for the government and manufacturers as to what steps need to be taken to generate awareness towards environmental sustainability and facilitate the adoption of GSCM practices among Indian firms to a greater extent. We conclude the paper by indicating directions for future research on GSCM/SSCM.

Operations strategy for the effective delivery of integrated industrial product‐service offerings

Purpose – As enterprises focus on offering integrated product/service bundles, performance‐based contracts become ever so important in ensuring effective delivery. Performance‐based contracts fall under the result‐oriented category of industrial product service systems (PSSs). The paper aims to present a conceptual framework for operations strategy in performance‐based industrial PSSs that will help manufacturing companies configure their operations to support effective delivery of integrated product/service offering.Design/methodology/approach – This paper first develops a conceptual framework for operations strategy in performance‐based contracts by identifying the key elements after a detailed systematic review of literature. A major shift in support and maintenance logistics for complex engineering systems over the past few years has been observed in the defence and aerospace industries. Availability contracting, a special type of performance‐based contracts, is replacing traditional service procureme...

Incentive issues in performance-based outsourcing contracts in the UK defence industry: a simulation study

Traditional outsourcing literature has claimed gains for the customer in terms of quality and costs. However, such gains are illusory in outsourcing of high-risk, complex tasks. The use of contracts and governance mechanisms for handling complex procurements is essential in obtaining rewards from outsourcing. Powerful incentives and risks are normally used in industrial service contracts to transfer risks to measure compliance with performance measures. The availability contracts for complex engineering services provision are forms of outsourcing contracts that transfer resources from government to external service providers on a substantial scale. The change moves the contractor role from creating resources to managing resources. Such role change mandates collaboration with customers and suppliers in supply/value chains. The management task is then perceived in terms of linking and optimising alignments rather than increasing service levels. Incentive design is one mechanism for linking the coordination of resources required in availability contracting to the business model. This article studies the impacts of agreed contract type and incentive mechanism on the customer and service provider profits using agent-based discrete event simulation model under multiple risk sharing scenarios.

Service Uncertainty and Cost for Product Service Systems

Service orientation in the defence and aerospace industries through availability contracts is creating challenges in cost estimation due to uncertainties. The chapter initially presents the topic of uncertainty in service delivery, which subsequently leads to a classification of uncertainties. Then, the current uncertainty-based service cost estimation processes are explained. By identifying the existing challenges, an improved framework to estimate costs is highlighted. This firstly involves enhanced understanding of the influence of uncertainties and cost estimation capabilities through the analytical hierarchy process and the Numeral, Unit, Spread, Assessment and Pedigree (NUSAP) Matrix approach. Secondly, it involves using agent-based modelling to represent the dynamism in service cost estimates. The chapter ends with a case study application of the approach.

A simulation study on maintainer resource utilization of a fast jet aircraft maintenance line under availability contract

Abstract A major shift in support and maintenance logistics for complex engineering systems over the past few years has been observed in defence and aerospace industry. Availability contracting, a novel approach in this area and a special type of performance based contract, is replacing traditional service procurement practices. The service provider is measured against an equipment availability target set by the customer and rewarded on savings achieved. The performance of such contracts depends on proper utilization of right mix of labour resources. Contemporary literature on resource modelling has not attempted at modelling the entire aircraft maintenance line along with the labour resources. This research work aims to improve resource utilization in availability type contracts by simulating human resources and processes in an aircraft maintenance line.

Supply network resilience: a systematic literature review and future research

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.

Sustainable Supply Chain Management: An Empirical Study of a Global Automaker’s Indian Operations

The primary purpose of the paper was to identify the key capabilities that can be adopted or adapted for successful implementation of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices in a different business environment. This paper reports an in-depth exploratory case study of a global automaker in India. An assessment is carried out for SSCM to generate valuable interorganisational resources that become sources of competitive advantage. This paper after an initial literature review identifies key sustainability practices across a wide range of industries for effective SSCM implementation. The key findings of this research are the capabilities to adopt a set of operating principles such as lean manufacturing, quality management or strategic management practices directly across markets/environments without any change. The research also identifies capabilities to innovate, collaborate and partner that require development of critical resources or changing key resources for successful implementation of SSCM in a different business environment. This paper provides an insight into the dynamic capabilities for SSCM implementation in a different market. Our study findings will help managers configure their supply chains for sustainable benefits in economic, social and environmental spheres in a different market. This work also contributes to research on how organisational routines influence firm adaptation to a major environmental change.

Enhancing competitive advantage by constructing supply chains to achieve superior performance

Abstract This paper studies the impact of configuring supply chain design strategies on performance using real-world example of aligning different supply chain practices to supply chain strategies to achieve competitive advantage. The paper first carries out a synthesis of literature categorising the supply chain strategies, practices and linking them to contexts and competitive advantage. The paper then uses a case study methodology to explore the process of adjusting supply chain strategies and aligned practices to gain competitive advantage in different contexts. The paper reports two case examples of a leaf tobacco company and a mosquito coil manufacturer from India facing different demand characteristics and implementing different supply chain strategies for enhancing performance objectives. Both companies faced a change in their business environment and competitive priorities. In both the examples, companies used a combination of practices for implementing appropriate supply chain strategies to gain competitive advantage. This paper contributes to the academic discipline of supply chain management through developing theory showing the transition of supply chain strategies for achieving superior performance in different business environments. The paper has wide managerial implications by reporting real-life implementation of different supply chain strategies thus bridging the practice-theory gap.