Compares the bullwhip properties of a vendor managed inventory (VMI) supply chain with those of a traditional “serially‐linked” supply chain. The emphasis of this investigation is the comparative impact the two structures have on the “bullwhip effect” generated. Particular attention is...

This paper examines the implications of electronic business‐to‐business intermediaries for the buyer‐supplier interface. Innovations in electronic commerce have a key role to play in managing inter‐organisational networks of supply chain members. The evidence presented in this paper...

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of purchasing activities and the purchasing function's involvement with corporate strategy on manufacturing competitiveness as it is affected by national differences. In particular, the authors are interested in the research...

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the effect of business strategy on socially responsible supply chain management (SR‐SCM). Design/methodology/approach – This study draws on data from 178 UK‐based companies, and 340 buyer‐supplier relationships. A novel data collection approach is...

Lean supply ‐ the system of purchasing and supply chain management required to underpin lean production ‐ has been characterized as “beyond partnership”. Re‐examines this idea, comparing the techniques which constitute lean supply with those contained in supply chain management,...

Presents a classification scheme which allows the interpretation of supply chain improvement initiatives. While there is an abundance of anecdotal evidence, there is little systematic theoretical development in the field. This is partly because of the many different ways in which co‐operation...

Reviews the literature of purchasing and transportation management to identify factors in the purchasing and transportation processes that influence a firm’s ability to reduce total cycle time. Presents a model of these factors to establish a framework for guiding research into comprehensive,...

Although there currently exists an unprecedented level of interest in business processes, focusing on their analysis, evaluation and reengineering, many business process reengineering (BPR) initiatives have yielded disappointing results. This paper suggests that one of the reasons for this might...

The process of choosing appropriate supply chain performance measures is difficult due to the complexity of these systems. The paper presents an overview and evaluation of the performance measures used in supply chain models and also presents a framework for the selection of performance...

This paper considers a new class of problems arising in the distribution side of supply chains. It considers cooperative market expansion and price negotiation by wholesalers and manufacturers in a class of franchise‐type distribution markets. For wholesalers, expanding the coverage of...