Supply chain practices: An implementation status in Indian manufacturing organisations

Green supply chain management and organizational culture: a bibliometric analysis based on Scopus data (2001-2020)

Purpose

Along with rapid development in the green supply chain fields, questions have been raised about the direct effects of internal and external drivers. Recent evidence suggest that organizational culture is a prerequisite for the understanding of green supply chain management (GSCM). However, there has been limited examination of organizational culture in the green supply chain research area. The purpose of this paper is to understand the relationship between green supply chain management (GSCM) and organizational culture.

Design/methodology/approach

To do so, a bibliometric analysis is carried out. The search was conducted in the Scopus database by using different keywords. The records found were scanned and refined bringing the total number of documents to 46. A descriptive analysis covering influential authors, leading journals, contributing organizations and most popular words used in titles and keywords, using the Biblioshiny app, followed by a content analysis have been conducted.

Findings

The findings show the following: most of the influential studies were conducted by only a few researchers. The publications within the field started to increase during 2012–2020. It is worth mentioning, that the USA and UK universities have a strong research contribution among all, and there are seven core publishing journals that lead the field such as cleaner of production and sustainability. The content analysis revealed some aspects and shed light on two main topics: organizational culture as a driver or a barrier toward GSCM; and the organizational culture contribution role on the impact of GSCM on performance.

Research limitations/implications

This paper only addresses GSCM with organizational culture based on a small sample of papers. Furthermore, this study needs to be expanded with empirical research on the topic. It would be interesting to assess the effects of national culture within the same research area. More broadly, researchers may also need to explore the various databases instead of focusing only on Scopus database case of this paper, using various keywords.

Practical implications

This study plays an important role for managers and firms, and also this study is contributing in increasing the understanding of the role of cultural factors on implementing the GSCM practices and getting the highest benefits from it.

Originality/value

This paper holds significant contribution for scholars, especially for those who are interested in cultural issues within the management field, and for managers by enlightening a critical element to concentrate on for the betterment of green sustainability within their firms. Considering this, future research suggestions are identified.

Outsourcing and reverse supply chain performance: a triple bottom line approach

Purpose

Outsourcing has become a strategic decision for most of the organizations in the present context of globalization and circular economy. The objective of proposed study is to empirically investigate the relationship between the outsourcing benefits and triple bottom line (TBL)-based performance of reverse supply chain (RSC) comprising of economic, environmental and social factors.

Design/methodology/approach

In the present study, the partial least square path approach of structural equation modeling has been applied for testing hypotheses. A questionnaire was developed for collecting the information and responses from the experts of electronics industry, India. Measurement models were tested for ensuring the fitness of data for further applying partial least square path approach of SEM.

Findings

The results provide insightful information on outsourcing and RSC performance. It reveals that outsourcing decisions are important and have great influence on the economic, environmental and social performance of RSC.

Research limitations/implications

The study will provide useful guidance to the organizations for outsourcing decisions. One of the limitations of the study is that it has considered data collected from the Indian electronics industry. Therefore, results may not be generalized.

Originality/value

The third-party service providers have core competencies, and they are the experts of providing RSC services. It is also apparent from the exploration of past research and theoretical background that there are limited number of studies focusing on the impact of outsourcing decisions in RSC performance specifically from the TBL perspective. Hence, the proposed study is an effort to explore the impact of outsourcing RSC activities on the performance of RSC from a sustainability perspective.

Providing an interpretive structural model of agile supply chain practices

Purpose

Nowadays, the defense industry is considered a significant part of the manufacturing industries. Military products in the world have a high level of diversity, delivery speed and appropriative operational functionality. Therefore, various producing, high quality and high-speed delivery of military products are of great importance in enhancing Iran’s defensive power. Defense industries’ supply chain agility is a response to how to produce military products with these features. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide a model for the agile supply chain of defense industries to show the relationship between agile practices and their hierarchy.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the authors identify the most important supply chain agility practices by expert’s questionnaire. Then, using factor analysis, practices are categorized and validated based on structural equation modeling (SEM). SEM showed a meaningful relationship between agile supply chain practices. Finally, using interpretative structural modeling, a model is presented to show the logical relationships and hierarchy between these practices.

Findings

The results show that out of a total of 62 practices introduced in the previous research for the agile supply chain, 37 practices in the agility of the supply chain of defense industries are effective. The 4 new agility practices were identified in this research. These 41 practices were classified into 8 categories including supplier relationship, workshop level management, organizational structure improvement, human resource management, product designing, improve and integrate the process, application of information technology and customer relationship. Improvement of organizational structure was at the highest level of the model. Therefore, managers first should focus on it.

Research limitations/implications

Given the confidentiality of information in the defense industry, the distribution of questionnaires and their collection was one of the most important limitations. A variety of defense products in land, air and sea areas, and a large number of industries in each sector, forced the authors to select the only land area. Although the results of this research can be used in the air and sea areas, but cannot be said that the implementation of this study presented model will fully lead to the defense industries’ supply chain agility in air and sea sectors.

Originality/value

This is the first research on the supply chain agility of Iran’s defense industry that bridges the gap between theory and practice. The classification of 41 practices in the form of 8 measures and examining the relationship between them is a new and practical approach for understanding the relationships between different variables that affect supply chain agility. This study introduces four new agility practices including the use of new technology and equipment, human resource balance, the use of expert human resources, training and employee empowerment, which can be considered in many industries of developing or less developed countries. Considering the specific situation of defense industry supply chain in comparison with other industries, the results of this research can be used by other defense industries of similar countries.

Achieving sustainability through the lean and resilient management of the supply chain

Purpose

In the present work, lean and resilient practices applied to supply chains are studied in order to evaluate their impact on the three dimensions of sustainability. Additionally, the mutual impact of lean and resilient supply chain practices is investigated. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The aerospace sector and its supply chain are chosen, since lean and resilient practices have been proven relevant in the sector. A methodology based on Interpretive Structural Modeling approach is applied in order to identify the existing relationships between lean and resilient supply chain practices and their impact on the three different dimensions of sustainability.

Findings

The results reveal synergetic effects between lean and resilient practices. The former practices act as drivers of the latter practices. Hence, lean practices lead to direct and indirect effects in achieving supply chain sustainability.

Research limitations/implications

The relationship between lean and resilient practices has been studied for the aerospace sector. Different sectors may lead to different results as the practices considered important in each sector may differ as well as the way in which each practice is implemented.

Originality/value

This study highlights the relationship existing between lean and resilient supply chain practices and their impact on sustainability. Additionally, several managerial implications are drawn out to help managers make better decisions.

The Role of Green Attributes in Production Processes as Well as Their Impact on Operational, Commercial, and Economic Benefits

This paper reports a second-order structural equation model composed of four variables: the green attributes before and after an industrial production process, the operating benefits, the commercial benefits, and the economic benefits. The variables are related by means of five hypotheses and are validated statistically with information obtained from 559 responses to a questionnaire applied to the Mexican maquila industry. The model is evaluated using the technique of partial least squares and the results obtained indicate that the green attributes before and after the production process have a direct and positive effect on the obtained benefits, mostly on the operational ones. It is concluded that companies that are focused on increasing their greenness level must monitor and evaluate the existence of green attributes in their production process to guarantee benefits and make fast decisions if required due to deviations.

Impact of organizational culture on quality management practices: an empirical investigation

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the organizational culture (OC) of the competing values framework (CVF) on quality management (QM) practices. Specifically, it tests OC on two views, QM practices, i.e. the infrastructure quality and core QM practices.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed hypotheses were tested using empirical data drawn from 262 manufacturing organizations in India. The research model developed was analyzed using structural equation modeling technique.

Findings

The findings of this study revealed that the hierarchical and rational cultures are the dominant types of culture, and top management commitment and Six Sigma structure are the most important aspects of the infrastructure and core QM practices in Indian manufacturing organizations. Further, the results of the study showed that group culture and development culture are the most supportive culture types for both infrastructure and core QM practices. On the contrary, hierarchical and rational culture types are the least supportive for infrastructure and core QM practices. The study proposes the need for the mixed culture approach that facilitates the adoption of business strategies

Practical implications

Before implementing infrastructure and core QM practices, managers must understand the importance of cultural values in their organization to facilitate effective implementation of QM.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence leading to the relationship between OC and QM practices. This is the first study that empirically examined the Indian cultural context using CVF, thus contributing to the scarce body of literature particularly in the developing countries.

Coordination and responsiveness issues in SME supply chains: a review

Purpose

Globalization and liberalization of the world economy have leveled the field for all competitors across the globe. To face global competition successfully, SMEs have to break their isolation in the value chain. To overcome the dynamic challenges of the market, supply chain management can be an important tool for SMEs. The purpose of this paper is to synthesize different issues related to the coordination and responsiveness of supply chain management in SMEs, through a review of the literature.

Design/methodology/approach

In all, 116 research papers, mainly from referred international journals, are reviewed to identify the thrust areas of research. On the basis of the review, gaps are identified and a research agenda is proposed.

Findings

It is observed from the review that SMEs have not been very proactive in implementing supply chain management. These organizations face a lot of problems in coordinating their operations with other members of the supply chain. They are localized in functioning. On export fronts SMEs face many constraints due to lack of resources and poor innovative capabilities. To face the challenges of open global market, SMEs have to manage their problems and supply chain risks effectively. Research gaps are identified in different areas of the supply chain such as coordination and responsiveness issues, service quality issues, and performance benchmarking for future directions of research.

Originality/value

This paper explores the major areas for research on coordination and responsiveness of SME supply chains. The findings of the paper will be highly useful for the researchers to decide the direction of their research.