Rebecca Arkader

The direct and mediated relationships between supply chain coordination investments and delivery performance

Purpose – To explore the paths by which coordination investments with suppliers and customers relate to improvements in delivery speed, delivery reliability, and manufacturing lead‐time.Design/methodology/approach – Regression analysis of data on supply chain coordination investment and delivery performance from 243 manufacturers from 13 countries.Findings – Results provide evidence of direct relationships between supplier coordination investment and manufacturing lead‐time, and between customer coordination investment and delivery speed and delivery reliability. Moreover, they suggest that customer investment mediates the relationship between supplier investment and delivery reliability, and that supplier investment mediates the relationship between customer investment and manufacturing lead‐time.Practical implications – To achieve sustainable improvements in multiple aspects of performance, management may need to invest in coordination with partners both upstream and downstream in the supply chain.Origi...

A PESQUISA CIENTÍFICA EM GERÊNCIA DE OPERAÇÕES NO BRASIL

Changes in competition over the last decades of the 20th century gave new momentum to education and research in Operations Management in business schools all over the world. This article seeks to trace the evolution of scientific research in Operations Management in Brazil, reviewing the concerns, the research approaches and the theoretical and practical relevance of this area in Brazil. First a review of papers published in the Proceedings of the Enanpad is presented. This is followed by reviews of papers published in the most relevant Brazilian business journals: RAE, RAUSP and RAC. The review of the literature is concluded with an overview of publications by Brazilian researchers in international journals specializing in the Operations Management area. Finally, the article presents a critical assessment of the scientific research in Operations Management conducted in Brazil.

Logistics sophistication, manufacturing segments and the choice of logistics providers

Purpose – To investigate the relationship between the choice of integrated or functional logistics providers by Brazilian shippers and: the type of their manufacturing process structure, and the level of sophistication of their logistics function, as well as the impact on that choice of possible interactions between these two characteristics of the shippers.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected in a comprehensive survey on the use of 3PL service providers in Brazil using a sample of 93 large Brazilian shippers; The analysis tests three research questions on the individual and combined relationships of logistics sophistication, measured on a logistics sophistication index (LSI), and process type (according to Goldratts V‐A‐T classification for materials flow analysis) with the choice of type of 3PL provider; the methods of analysis were cluster and logistics regression analysis.Findings – The paper finds: support for an association of sophisticated logistics functions and a preference for inte...

The perspective of suppliers on lean supply in a developing country context

This paper deals with the perspective of autoparts suppliers in the Brazilian automotive industry on advances and barriers to renewed buyer‐supplier relations under lean production practices, as uncovered by a comprehensive case study research. Suppliers perceived advances in the relationships as far as operational issues were concerned, but less so in terms of strategic issues. They also identified both organizational, firm‐specific barriers and environmental barriers originating in the peculiarities of the local economic and business environment. These results are discussed in view of the dyadic relationship with buyers, leading to the identification of elements that help to formulate an explanation for the recent path of buyer‐supplier relations in the Brazilian automotive industry.

Improving manufacturers’ distribution performance and customer service in grocery products supply in Brazil: a longitudinal study

This article deals with the evolution of customer service practices in grocery products distribution in Brazil (1994‐2001), based on a longitudinal survey of grocery retailers. Data were collected on retailers’ expectations on four relevant dimensions of customer logistics service provided by manufacturers, as well as on their perceptions of logistics service performance of the typical supplier and the best supplier. The evolution of the gaps between retailers’ expectations and manufacturers’ perceived distribution performance was investigated, as well as a trend in terms of an increase or decrease in customer satisfaction with service provided by suppliers in such dimensions. Results indicate that retailers typically tend to be satisfied with the service provided by their suppliers. In addition, there may be an adjustment of distribution performance to expectations of retailers and to the provision, in some cases, of service above customer expectations.

A study into the impacts on retail operations performance of key strategic supply chain decisions

Based on a simulation methodology, this study aims at understanding and exemplifying the impact of key manufacturer production and distribution decisions on the key performance indicators in retail operations. More specifically, primary and secondary effects of alternative push/pull and centralisation/decentralisation inventory decisions on service level, average inventory, frequency of shipments and stock out indicators in retail operations are quantified by means of simulation of the operation of a simplified supply chain. Results of a MANCOVA analysis experimentally point out possible contradictions between the strategic positioning of manufacturing operations and retail operations performance.

Environment and Manufacturing Strategy: Comparing Modernisation Paths and Performance in Brazil and Argentina

Brazil and Argentina rank, respectively, as the first and third largest economies in Latin America. They are part of the Mercosur Common Market and have both experienced considerable environmental change in recent years following the adoption of stabilisation programmes to fight soaring levels of inflation and regain control of vital economic variables. A feature of both programmes has been a competitive shock through trade liberalisation, deregulation, and privatisation programmes. However, there has been a time lag in the adoption of such policies in each country.

The relationship between logistics sophistication and drivers of the outsourcing of logistics activities

A strong link has been established between operational excellence and the degree of sophistication of logistics organization, a function of factors such as performance monitoring, investment in Information Technology [IT] and the formalization of logistics organization, as proposed in the Bowersox, Daugherty, Droge, Germain and Rogers (1992) Leading Edge model. At the same time, shippers have been increasingly outsourcing their logistics activities to third party providers. This paper, based on a survey with large Brazilian shippers, addresses a gap in the literature by investigating the relationship between dimensions of logistics organization sophistication and drivers of logistics outsourcing. To this end, the dimensions behind the logistics sophistication construct were first investigated. Results from factor analysis led to the identification of six dimensions of logistics sophistication. By means of multivariate logistical regression analyses it was possible to relate some of these dimensions, such as the formalization of the logistics organization, to certain drivers of the outsourcing of logistics activities of Brazilian shippers, such as cost savings. These results indicate the possibility of segmenting shippers according to characteristics of their logistics organization, which may be particularly useful to logistics service providers.

Segmentação logística: um estudo na relação entre fornecedores e varejistas no Brasil

In the present state of retailer-manufacturer relationships in Brazil, suppliers are being pressured to achieve improvements in customer service as well as reduction in logistics costs. In this context, logistics segmentation, one of the key logistics competences, is a valuable tool to support supplier positioning efforts. Benefit-based logistics segmentation helps suppliers to differentiate their offer, by focusing on attributes desired by customers, and to reduce costs, by eliminating elements that are not valued by them. The objective of this study was to identify retailer segments according to expectations concerning the level of logistics service they receive, as well as to characterize them by means of easy-access variables, such as demographic and organizational variables. Using data collected in a comprehensive survey research conducted with Brazilian retailers, both two and three segment solutions were identified based on customer expectations regarding logistics service provided by manufacturers. However, there was insufficient support for the characterization of these segments according to easy-access variables, making it difficult for manufacturers to identify them in practice and to match their offer of logistics services to the needs of each customer segment as well as to achieve better logistics cost management.

Estratégias de recuperação de serviço no varejo e seu impacto na fidelização dos clientes

Difficulties in the prevential and recovery of failures in service operations have been credited to poor knowledge on their nature. Based on research with customers of goods retail operations in Brazil, the paper identifies perceived service failures, the recovery strategies employed by retailers to remedy them, and the impact of these strategies on resulting customer behavior. Using the critical incident technique, it was possible to identify 13 categories of failures and 11 recovery strategies used by operations. Results suggest that a good evaluation by customers of the recovery strategies adopted by retailers has a positive effect on customer retention.