International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

Theodore P. Stank; J. Paul Dittmann; Chad W. Autry

2011 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600031111185220

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is first, to summarize the findings from the book The New Supply Chain Agenda (Slone, Dittmann, and Mentzer 2010). Second, it reviews associated academic research, identifies critical knowledge gaps, and suggests areas for future academic research that will aid scholars and managers in improving supply chain management (SCM) performance. Design/methodology/approach – The paper summarizes and extends The New Supply Chain Agenda and juxtaposes the major elements of that book with a content review of existing literature in logistics and SCM to align gaps in knowledge with a call for future research. Findings – The findings deepen understanding of the complexities and interrelationships prevalent among the five pillars and help identify new ways to improve the performance impact of SCM initiatives. Research limitations/implications – Major areas for future research within the broad topics of talent management, technology, internal integration, external collaboration, and change management are identified. Academic research related to each area or pillar is summarized, gaps are identified, and future research directions are suggested to provide avenues in which theoretical grounding and scientific rigor may be applied to each pillar of The New Supply Chain Agenda . Practical implications – Many of the proposed solutions to the challenges faced by supply chain professionals have not been subjected to the scholarly scrutiny that would determine their validity. This paper presents areas for meaningful academic research to help supply chain practitioners separate truth from hype. Originality/value – The paper seeks to stimulate thinking and suggest new areas in which to do research related to the book's key premises.

Minna Rollins; Saara Pekkarinen; Mari Mehtälä

2011 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600031111185239

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine customer knowledge sharing between a buyer of a logistics service and the logistics service provider (LSP). The authors attempt to fill the gap in current research by investigating inter‐firm customer knowledge sharing. Design/methodology/approach – A survey study was conducted. Data were collected from buyers of logistic services. Confirmatory factor analysis and multiple regression were used to analyze data and test hypotheses. Findings – Results suggest that open and fluent communication mediates the relationship between customer knowledge sharing and satisfaction with a logistics service provider. In addition, the close relationship with the logistics service provider is needed to strengthen the relationship between customer knowledge sharing and satisfaction with the logistics service provider. Research limitations/implications – This study provided new empirical evidence concerning inter‐firm customer knowledge sharing. The authors suggest that logistic service providers should be incorporated into the customer knowledge management process to ensure open and fluent communication about customers. Practical implications – This study provides practical insights for companies that sell logistic services. Originality/value – Customer knowledge sharing has been largely studied in an intra‐firm context, for instance information sharing between marketing and research and development departments. This research extends the concept of customer knowledge sharing to the inter‐firm context.

Matloub Hussain; Paul R. Drake

2011 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600031111185248

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the effect of batching on bullwhip effect in a model of multi‐echelon supply chain with information sharing. Design/methodology/approach – The model uses the system dynamics and control theoretic concepts of variables, flows and feedback processes and is implemented using iThink ® software. Findings – It has been seen that the relationship between batch size and demand amplification is non‐monotonic. Large batch sizes, that when combined in integer multiples can produce order rates that are close to the actual demand, produce little demand amplification, i.e. it is the size of the remainder of the quotient that is the determinant. It is further noted that the value of information sharing is greatest for smaller batch sizes, for which there is a much greater improvement in the amplification ratio. Research limitations/implications – Batching is associated with the inventory holding and backlog cost. Therefore, future work should investigate the cost implications of order batching in multi‐echelon supply chains. Practical implications – This is a contribution to the continuing research into the bullwhip effect, giving supply chain operations managers and designers a practical way into controlling the bullwhip produced by batching across multi‐echelon supply chains. Originality/value – Previous similar studies have used control theoretic techniques and it has been pointed out that control theorists are unable to solve the lot sizing problem. Therefore, system dynamic simulation has been applied to investigate the impact of various batch sizes on bullwhip effect.

Amir Shabani; Seyed Mohammad Reza Torabipour; Reza Farzipoor Saen

2011 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/09600031111185257

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce an innovative data envelopment analysis (DEA) model entitled “Non‐binary Arithmetic Operator Dual‐role” (NAOD) under free disposability assumption for selecting the refrigerated containers in cold chain management (CCM). Design/methodology/approach – In classical DEA models, it is assumed that all of input and output variables play a certain role. However, in some cases, some variables play both input and output roles, simultaneously. These variables in DEA are called “dual‐role” factors. This study introduces a new approach to deal with these factors in the process of evaluating a set of homogeneous refrigerated containers, which is based on Free Disposal Hull (FDH) (one of the DEA models). However, in previous dual‐role models, this variable is considered as a binary variable. In this paper, a partial role for dual‐role factors is considered. Findings – The main findings of this paper are: for the first time, the NAOD model is developed for the container selection problem in the context of CCM and the dual‐role factors are considered for the container selection problem. The NAOD model determines partial role of dual‐role factors and can consider multiple dual‐role factors. For the first time, the container selection problem is solved by an FDH model. The result of NAOD model is validated by genetic algorithm. Originality/value – The paper makes a sufficient contribution to the practice of operations research. It is the first study which applies advanced DEA models for selecting the containers in the context of the CCM. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there is no other reference that deals with container selection in the context of CCM in the presence of dual‐role factors.