International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

Ellinger, Alexander E. ; Chapman, Karen

2016 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/IJPDLM-12-2015-0301

Purpose – After 40 years, IJPDLM received its first impact factor from Web of Science in 2010. This anniversary editorial provides a retrospective bibliometric assessment of IJPDLM over its initial five years as a Web of Science journal (2011-2015). First, IJPDLM ’s citation metrics are compared to those for the Web of Science journal subject category of Management. Next, IJPDLM ’s most cited articles, best papers and special issues together with the international diversity of the journal’s author base from 2011 to 2015 are reviewed. The analysis also presents the journals that cite IJPDLM most frequently, as well as the journals most frequently cited in IJPDLM . Finally, IJPDLM is compared to peer journals in the logistics and SCM field on various scholarly metrics including impact factor, five-year impact factor, h 5-index, number of citations received and self-citation rate. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Retrospective bibliometric analysis of IJPDLM from 2011 to 2015. Findings – Boosted by the journal’s admission to Web of Science in 2010, IJPDLM has made steady progress toward fulfilling the mission of providing its constituents with timeliness, inclusiveness and impact. Practical implications – The comparison of IJPDLM ’s scholarly metrics with those of peer journals and journals in the Web of Science Management category will be of interest and value to logistics and SCM researchers. Originality/value – The retrospective overview and celebration of IJPDLM ’s progress over the last five years and future directions will be of interest to the journal’s stakeholders and prospective authors.

Stevens, Graham C. ; Johnson, Mark

2016 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/IJPDLM-07-2015-0175

Purpose – Twenty-five years ago IJPDLM published “Integrating the Supply Chain” (Stevens, 1989). The purpose of that original work was to examine the state-of-the-art in supply chain management (SCM). There have been substantial changes to the landscape within which supply chains function and changes to supply chains themselves. Given these changes it is appropriate to re-visit what is the new state-of-the art and determine whether the 1989 conceptualization requires extending. The authors also attempt to assess whether the evolution of SCM is associated with improved financial performance. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The authors take a conceptual approach to suggest that SCM is undergoing a transition to devolved, collaborative supply chain clusters. In addition, the authors consider imperatives and models for supply chain change and development. In line with the 1989 work, many of the observations in this invited paper are based on the primary author’s experience. The authors use a selection of financial data from leading firms to assess whether benefits attributed to SCM and changes in supply chain operating models have affected financial performance. Findings – The authors formalize a model for the dynamics of SCM change. The authors also synthesize a number of models of SCM that extend the original, highly cited work. These include goal-oriented networks and devolved, collaborative supply chain clusters. The authors also find the associations between the evolution of SCM and measures of firm financial performance over time to be equivocal. Practical implications – This work proposes two additional operating models that firms can implement in order to improve the efficacy of their supply chains. Originality/value – The authors extend Stevens (1989) original work by synthesizing a number of additional models for SCI.

Spekman, Robert ; Davis, Edward W

2016 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/IJPDLM-07-2015-0164

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the state of the art in extended enterprise (EE) thinking. Design/methodology/approach – The approach used the 2004 book, The Extended Enterprise , as the jumping-off point to review the literature and better define the EE. What was once projected as depicting the future state of supply chain management is now shaping the way in which organizations interact with their customers and suppliers. New issues in this arena include considerations of risk, knowledge sharing, and supply chain performance. The authors review these new developments, describe how they might affect the collaborative supply chain, and posit future trends. Findings – The major theme from this research is that EE thinking is emerging among global companies as a primary way in which firms now compete. The term “Collaborative supply chains” appears, in some circles, to replace the term “EE.” Yet the principles and tenets delineated in the term “EE” are captured in “collaborative supply chains.” The authors find that the EE concept is distinct from other supply chains or subcontracting relationships in that firms are linked as learning organizations. Also, the authors have noted barriers to collaboration such as an unwillingness to share information, lack of trust, perceptions of lack of mutuality and symmetry, and mistrust about the fairness of benefits, costs, and risk sharing. Research limitations/implications – The limitations of this research could be a function of the papers reviewed since this review was not intended to be exhaustive but merely illustrative of the extant research. Nonetheless, the conclusions from the focus on risk, knowledge sharing, and performance hold strong implications for more collaborative relations among supply chain partners. Originality/value – Given the importance of supply chain partnerships, this research adds perspective for those firms that are reluctant to engage in such collaborative partnerships. This review contributes to extended enterprise thinking and is therefore insightful for both academics and practitioners.

Jonsson, Patrik ; Holmström, Jan

2016 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/IJPDLM-05-2015-0137

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a research agenda for supply chain planning (SCP) relevant for practice. Design/methodology/approach – The authors critically evaluate academic literature on SCP in order to understand how problems are addressed in their particular context, what the outcomes are, and the mechanisms producing the observed outcomes. Four categories of SCP are studied: sales and operations planning (S & OP), supply chain master planning, supply chain materials management, and collaborative materials management. The authors introduce the concept of enabling mechanisms to identify specific innovations in materials management and production management that can facilitate the future improvement of SCP. Findings – The critical evaluation of current SCP theory presents very limited results that are of practical relevance. SCP is not presented as an intervention and the results are not in a form that is actionable for practitioners. The body of literature is almost absent in addressing problems according to context, it presents limited evidence of intended outcomes, and it fails to identify unintended outcomes. As a consequence, research is unable to bolster theoretical understandings of how outcomes – both intended and unintended – are achieved. In the forward-looking research agenda the authors leverage the understanding of the enabling mechanisms in order to propose research to make mature S & OP and novel types of SCP implementable. Research limitations/implications – The paper is an example of a structured approach to developing a research agenda that is relevant to practice and can be used more widely in logistics and supply chain management. Practical implications – This paper presents a research agenda to close the gap between practice and promise in SCP. Originality/value – The authors operationalize what constitutes practical relevance for an established field of research.

Sasson, Amir ; Johnson, John Chandler

2016 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/IJPDLM-10-2015-0257

Purpose – Direct digital manufacturing (DDM) is conceived of as either disrupting the entire manufacturing economy or merely enabling novel production. The purpose of this paper is to introduce an alternative where DDM coexists with and complements traditional mass production. When multiple parts run across one manufacturing line, DDM can isolate variability associated with low volume part production and may be preferred to mass production despite being expensive. If DDM complements rather than cannibalizes mass production, this alters the understanding of who adopts DDM, the products built with DDM, and DDM’s long-term supply chain implications. Design/methodology/approach – This invited paper explores a DDM rollout scenario and qualitatively assesses potential supply chain reconfigurations. Findings – The analysis recognizes that existing manufacturers with heterogeneous bills-of-material may develop DDM capabilities to isolate disruptive, low-volume production from scalable mass production. Developing DDM competence and raw material scale advantages, these manufacturers become the locus of change in a manufacturing landscape increasingly characterized by multi-product DDM supercenters. Originality/value – Extant research largely focusses on two potential reasons for DDM adoption: cost-per-unit and time-to-delivery comparisons. The authors explore a third driver: DDM’s capacity to isolate manufacturing variability attributable to low volume parts. Relative to the extant literature, this suggests a different DDM rollout, different adopters, and a different supply chain configuration. The authors identify mass manufacturing variability reduction as the mechanism through which DDM may be adopted. This adoption trajectory would eventually enable a supply chain transition in which spare parts inventory migrates from finished goods at proprietary facilities to raw materials at generalized DDM supercenters.