Suchergebnisse

Natural disasters, extreme weather, trade disputes, critical supply shortages, financial problems and new surprising events periodically occur around the world. They often cause severe supply chain disruptions which reduce profitability and can even cause bankruptcy. Disruption response measures are becoming common with the increase of resilient supply chains and added visibility, when facing frequently occurring disruptions. However, the field still lacks studies and applications on supply chain disruption prevention and response methods, when dealing with major disruptions caused by events exogenous to supply chain processes. The goal of this research is to develop a tool that can evaluate a firm's disruption preparedness and offer a set of strategies for improving the ability to face disastrous events. A literature review was conducted on material related to supply chain disruptions, supply chain vulnerabilities, supply chain risk management, natural disasters, risk mitigation strategies, country risk assessments and measures to assess different aspects of supply chains. The focus was on recent research and past case studies. The development of supply chain risk management methods and supply chains' resilience factors were also analysed. The framework selected was the supply chain volatility dimension division where institutional and environmental volatility contains national economic and financial volatility, exceptional environmental events and political and legal instability. The selected disruptive events that matched the set framework were extreme weather, volcanic activity, earthquakes and tsunamis, diseases, terrorism and war, economic conflicts, financial crises, and labour strikes, as those events have caused major supply chain disruptions in the past. Event specific and general supply chain disruption risk mitigation strategies were sought out from literature and were also developed in this thesis, and they were divided into three time periods: before, during and after a disruptive event. Measures for the evaluation of a supply chain's characteristics, which affect supply chain disruption preparedness, were formed with the input of fellow researchers. The measures represented weaknesses that have been witnessed to be the causes of severe problems, and the strengths which have limited damages when disruptions have occurred. These measures were determined by rating scales. Also, a location-based evaluation was performed where country risk assessments were used. The gathered data was then evaluated by supply chain disruption preparedness score equations which were created for the tool. The final outcome was a comprehensive tool for quickly assessing a supply chain's preparedness for various disruptive event types that also offers a guideline on how to develop supply chain operations to decrease risk in supply chains.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify and rank supply chain disruption causes for Western buying firms in the Chinese market; to identify supplier-relationship-specific mitigation strategies to avoid and resist such disruptions; and to develop and propose a framework of relational supply chain disruption management with Chinese suppliers.Design/methodology/approachTwo group exercises with 42 representatives from Western manufacturing buying firms and nine in-depth interviews were conducted. The group exercises applied the nominal group technique.FindingsThe authors identified and ranked 22 disruption causes in China for Western buying firms. Evaluating the five most urgent causes, 43 mitigation strategies could be identified that build on implementing strategic relationships with Chinese suppliers. A framework of relational supply chain disruption management for Western buying firms was developed with six propositions on primary constructs, mediators, and moderators, highlighting guanxi as a fundamental construct of relations within the Chinese culture.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings contribute to theory development at the intersection of risk management and culture. Quantitative testing of the proposed relationships in the framework is needed to derive more reliable conclusions.Practical implicationsThe study depicts how cultural differences between Chinese suppliers and Western buyers influence relational supply chain disruption management strategies. Using the study findings, managers of Western buying firms are informed regarding the most pressing disruption causes in the Chinese market and the value and strategic use of Chinese-supplier relationships.Originality/valueThe study provides a valuable contribution to the scant body of literature on disruption management in supply chains with Chinese suppliers. It contributes to our understanding of a successful risk management in the presence of cultural differences.

Purpose
This study aims to investigate the interplay between a proactive attitude towards disruptions – supply chain disruption orientation – and supply chain resilience, increasing our understanding of their influence on reducing the impact of supply chain disruptions within the B2B context.


Design/methodology/approach
As unexpected disruptions are closely related to a dynamic and changing perception of the environment, this research is framed under the dynamic capabilities lens, consistent with existing resilience literature. The authors used partial least squares-path modeling (PLS-PM) to empirically test the proposed research model using survey data from 216 firms.


Findings
Results show that a proactive approach to disruptions alone is insufficient in mitigating their negative impact. Instead, a firm's disruption orientation plays a crucial role in boosting its resilience, which acts as a mediator, reducing the impact of disruptions.


Originality/value
This paper sheds light on the mechanisms by which firms can mitigate the effects of supply chain disruptions and offers insights into how certain capabilities are needed so that firms' attitudes can effectively impact firm performance. This research thus suggests that dynamic capabilities, traditionally perceived as being enabled by other elements, act themselves as enablers. Consequently, they have the potential to translate strategic orientation or attitudes into tangible effects on performance, enriching our understanding of how firms combine their internal attitudes and capabilities to achieve sustained competitive advantage.