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This study explores a performance measurement system for a dynamic supply chain partnership in a cross-cultural context. An initial framework is constructed by reviewing the existing literature, followed by an in-depth case study in the Chinese automotive industry, where the framework is refined to address the multi-cultural setting. A performance measurement, system which includes the relationship strategy and operational measurement criteria for a supply chain partnership, has been developed. The relationship strategy contains elements of strategy orientation, management style, interdependence, mutual organisational characteristics and common goals. The operational measurement criteria consist of commitment, trust, communication behaviour, information sharing, participation decision, quality, production performance, delivery, cost, supplier strength, attitude, compromise and loyalty. The last three operational measurement criteria are found to be particularly relevant to the cross-cultural feature. While existing studies tend to focus on either specific measures or individual organisations, this paper for the first time proposes a comprehensive framework to measure the performance of supply chain partnerships. The cross-cultural perspective provides a further unique view on how a performance measurement system can be responsive to the dynamics in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The commitment in many countries to zero emissions at the tailpipe for buses opens up an era under transition with a new set of risks and uncertainties to both bus operators and the regulator. The switch to clean energy brings energy providers, both generators and distributors, as well battery pack and electric or hydrogen bus providers, and infrastructure specialists, into the mainstream of service provision, signifying that the risks in transition over the next 30 or so years should be shared amongst a larger set of upstream service providers who stand to gain through new opportunities from the transition. De-risking through greater sharing is common in many supply chain ventures and is an appealing way of transitioning to a green energy future for the provision of bus services. We promote the idea of a competitively defined supply chain partnership procurement model, implemented through tendering or negotiation, as a way of spreading the risk to all who will gain from this new future. This has the potential, without guarantee, to support many more bus operators staying in (or indeed entering) the industry to enable an effective competitive process, especially the relatively smaller operators who currently lack the expertise and knowledge to weather this transition, best described as an extreme event. This paper is a conceptual think piece rather than a scientific one, designed to open up new ways to consider procurement and contracting in the context of the transition to zero emission buses, but it has wider value in other sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaboration in a supply chain continuously proves its role in increasing the performance of supply chains, which attracts the attention of both academia and practitioners, specifically, how to generate higher impacts of collaborative partnership on the performance of supply chains and measure them. In cold supply chains of agriculture and foods, the vital need for collaboration becomes even more significant to improve the performance. Therefore, this paper reviews relevant articles derived from the Web of Science and Scopus databases. Via the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), the research team classifies the types of collaborative partnership in cold agriculture and food supply chains, issues of the literature when analyzing collaboration impacts on the performance of CSCs of agriculture and foods, and finally, the opportunities for the future research to boost the collaboration practices in these cold chains. Following this sequence, 102 articles were eventually extracted for the systematic review to identify themes for not only addressing the review questions but also highlighting future research opportunities for both development of partnership integration and performance of the cold chains of agriculture and foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent literature on supply chain partnerships in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), there is controversy regarding the benefits of these partnerships. To resolve this controversy, specific information is needed on the implementation of these partnerships by SMEs; an area, that, thus far, has received little academic attention. In this paper, we examine different business functions (production, marketing and sales, purchasing and logistics, research and development (R&D) and finance) within a supply chain partnership. We collected data for each individual function from 279 high-tech SMEs and examined the relationship between the specific types of partnerships and the overall performance of the SMEs. The results indicate that it is only in the area of R&D that partnerships have a significant positive effect on overall firm performance. The results imply that SMEs primarily can benefit from particular types of supply chain partnerships, i.e. R&D partnerships. The results contribute to the debate in the literature by explaining why many SMEs were found not to benefit from these partnerships. We also provide implications for firms and how SMEs can better utilise supply chain management (SCM). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Based on relational exchange theory and transaction cost theory, a conceptual model for the relationships among supply chain partnership, inter-organizational knowledge trading and enterprise innovation performance is proposed and empirically tested using the data collected from 256 Chinese manufacturing enterprises in project-based supply chain with the structural equation model. The dimension of supply chain partnership in this model is described from shared goal, trust and relationship commitment. Inter-organizational knowledge trading is categorized into explicit knowledge trading and tacit knowledge trading. The results showed that: (1) there are significant and positive effects of shared goal and trust on explicit knowledge trading, tacit knowledge trading and enterprise innovation performance, while trust has a stronger positive effect on tacit knowledge trading than explicit knowledge trading; (2) although relationship commitment has significant and positive effects on tacit knowledge trading and enterprise innovation performance, it does not affect explicit knowledge trading significantly; (3) it is also proved that inter-organizational knowledge trading (explicit knowledge trading and tacit knowledge trading) has significant and positive effects on enterprise innovation performance; (4) the mediating effects of inter-organizational knowledge trading (explicit knowledge trading and tacit knowledge trading) are proved on the relationships between supply chain partnership (shared goal, trust and relationship commitment) and enterprise innovation performance, excluding the mediating effect of explicit knowledge trading between relationship commitment and enterprise innovation performance. The findings provide a theoretical basis for inter-organizational knowledge trading participants selecting an appropriate relational mechanism to promote knowledge trading, and these also guide the inter-organizational knowledge trading among members of project-based supply chain in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies an innovative agricultural partnership model in the dairy industry. In developing regions, farmers are constrained by limited resources, while it is costly for an enterprise to set up new facilities and raise dairy animals all on its own. Under the partnership model, dairy animals are raised by individual farmers during the maturing stage and then by the enterprise during the milking stage. This can lower the enterprise's investment cost, ensure milk quality, and also expand the farmers' capacity given that a new batch can be raised when the old batch goes to the enterprise's facilities. We find that from the enterprise's perspective, the performance of this model depends on the farmers' original capacity and capacity expansion ratio (i.e., how much it can expand under partnership). The profitability of the enterprise can either increase in the farmers' original capacity if the expansion ratio is small or decreases otherwise. Compared with the conventional decentralized model and the independent integrated model, the partnership model is particularly preferred when the enterprise's market size is intermediate. Several extensions of our model show that the government quality subsidy offered to the farmers may sometimes lower dairy product quality as well as the enterprise's profit; when the enterprise aims to maximize the total profit of the partnership, it will contract with more farmers and produce more dairy products; and if the farmers have more bargaining power, the partnership model will benefit the farmers more but be less preferable to the enterprise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research on supply chain management has highlighted the importance of building strong customer-supplier relationships in order to gain competitive advantage. This paper examines the benefits of buyer-supplier partnerships over lot-for-lot, i.e. single setup single delivery (SSSD) systems and suggests two policies that the supplier can pursue in order to meet customers' needs: (1) Single setup multiple delivery (SSMD), and (2) Multiple setup multiple delivery (MSMD). If its fixed setup cost is relatively high, the supplier would prefer to implement SSMD and produce an entire order with one setup. However, if the supplier can reduce the setup cost and the supplier's capacity is greater than the threshold level (P = 2D), it is more beneficial for the supplier to implement the multiple setups and multiple deliveries (MSMD) policy, even though he pays more frequent setup costs since the savings in inventory holding costs is greater than the increased setup costs. In the latter case, setup reduction is realized by the knowledge and efficiency gained through frequent setup operations. To provide guidelines for the policy selection, we examine the interactions among variables, such as production capacity, learning rate, and holding costs for both parties. The paper also discusses the benefit sharing plan, which discusses according to the contribution (or sacrifice) each party made to the partnership efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is understood that improving performance has become an important objective of supply chains. As such, strategies have been adopted as an effort towards increasing performance. Amongst these strategies, partnership, collaboration and integration have been identified. A mutual advantage of these approaches is that they facilitate cohesion between parties where knowledge and resources are pooled together and shared with the purpose of achieving optimum results. However, it is observed that the extent to which partnership, collaboration and integration affect supply chain performance collectively is a research void. Objectives: This study intended to examine the influence of partnership, collaboration and integration on supply chain performance, particularly within the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector. The theory of relational view was adopted to support the study’s conceptual model. Method: The study used SmartPLS to analyse the data. Results: Three hypotheses were empirically substantiated using a sample of 271 SMEs situated in Gauteng. Conclusion: The findings revealed that the research constructs partnership, collaboration and integration influence supply chain performance in a positive way. Implications of the study are further provided.

Interdependence between producers and traders has not always been a collaborative relationship, but rather a conflicting one in which both parties pursue their own interests. The expansion of mass production, the emergence of large commercial areas and the globalization process have led to a reconsideration of the role of traders in their relations with producers, becoming strategic partners and at the same time a target of manufacturers marketing policies. Thus, three innovative concepts emerge and develop over the years: Trade Marketing, Category Management and Efficient Consumer Response. One of the longest-living and most successful American companies, Procter & Gamble, is the one that has innovated the concept of Trade Marketing as a convergence between the marketing of the trading company and the marketing of the manufacturer. This paper aims to analyze this concept and emphasize the role that P & G has had in reconsidering the position of the manufacturer in the logistic cooperation between him and the trader. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology and the concept of supply chain management (SCM) could be a potentially compatible and mutually interdependent practice. The existing research on BIM focuses on improving project-based and intra-organisational goals, ignoring the impact of BIM on existing structured long-term Supply Chain (SC) partnerships. The purpose of this study is to explore the interdependences of BIM and cross-project long-term inter-organisational teams. Five projects in the Netherlands, with BIM and SCM implementation, were analysed empirically using case study methods, including interviews, documents analysis and live observations. The BIM-enabled SC partnerships adopted various SCM practices and displayed distinct BIM collaboration patterns. This exploration revealed three main patterns of BIM-based collaboration, that is,ad-hoc, linearanddistributed, in the SC partnerships. The three patterns included various quasi-contractual, physical and digital means for BIM collaboration. The study suggests implications about BIM researchers and practitioners for not only implementing BIM, but also further integrating the construction SC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates if regional differences are able to influence trust-based relationship with suppliers. It presents the results of a survey of 338 processing plants located in Western and Asian countries using structural equation modeling. Findings suggest that supplier involvement in quality is taken for granted, but it is not related to trust or partnership. Regional differences may also affect the development of partnership in the supply chain. The two main aspects are the levels of trust and timeliness in Asian companies. These aspects bringimplications for managers dealing with international supply chains.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is crucial for competitive advantage and survival of firms globally. In the pursuit of excellence, many firms have embarked on CSR programs, considering that it is not a financial burden but a strategic roadmap to increase and maintain their brand reputation, to overcome competitive pressures successfully and to efficiently and effectively lower operating cost with profit maximisation through innovation and supply chain partnership. However, in the process of becoming good players of CSR to society, innovative dimension for sustainability as well as an organisation's supply chain partnership may be essential determinants to enhance good firm business processes and performance activities. In other words, to realise CSR, firms should have a strong environmental measure and well-integrated supply chain practices closely related to their business objectives and structures. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to examine the influence of CSR on innovation, supply chain partnership and firm competitiveness on firms around Vanderbijlpark, South Africa. Through a quantitative method using smart PLS, this study tested the relationships among the four variables, which are CSR, innovation, supply chain partnership and firm competitiveness. The results showed that there is a positive relationship between the four proposed hypotheses. H1: There is a positive relationship between CSR and innovation; H2: There is a positive relationship between CSR and supply chain partnership; H3: There is a positive relationship between innovation and firm competitiveness; H4: There is a positive relationship between supply chain partnership and firm competitiveness. The proposed study is expected to have practical and theoretical implications to policy makers and managers. In addition, it will provide added insights and new knowledge to the existing body of literature hitherto not studied extensively in South African firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effect of management-level professional ties between suppliers and customers on the sustainability of business partnerships. We find that the presence of cross-firm professional ties between directors and senior executives along the supply chain significantly reduces the probability of relationship termination around customers’ industry negative shocks and during financial crises. The results are robust using professional-tie strength as an alternative measure. Exploring contingency effects, we find that, for suppliers who lack R&D, face high competition, are smaller in size, or are less important to customers in terms of sales, such professional ties are more helpful in sustaining such relationships. Furthermore, we find that professional ties also significantly reduce firm risk during periods of market turbulence. Taken together, our results suggest that professional ties along the supply chain can facilitate information flow and build mutual trust, which can lead to healthy long-term relationships and can help firms survive economic and industry downturns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For preventing the supply disruption or high cost of supply chain due to double moral hazard when the supply chain partners working together to reduce the cost of key parts, a shared saving contract is needed. Through establishing a shared saving model, the optimal proportion of shared saving for maximizing supplier, manufacturer and the whole supply chain profit has been calculated. The model is applied in a case study. Results show that the optimal proportion of shared saving is different on different maximizing profit amis of supplier, manufacturer and the whole supply chain, and the proportion is decided by the relative importance of contribution to the cost reduction of partners and their bargain ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green innovation has been an important approach for firms to achieve sustainable development in recent years; however, empirical studies on the relationship between green innovation and corporate performance have delivered mixed results. In particular, business groups (BG), which are a critical organizational form in many economies and are proven to have unique advantages for conducting green innovation, have attracted less scholarly attention. Therefore, in this study, we adopt the perspective of a business group and investigate how green innovation by BG-affiliated firms affects their financial performance, and we also explore the moderating effect of BG's internal supply chain partnership. Based on a sample of 202 listed manufacturing enterprises in China from 2013 and 2017, the research results show that green innovation significantly improves the financial performance of firms, and this positive effect is more prominent in BG-affiliated firms than in non-BG firms. Further research found that BG-affiliated firms' supply chain (suppliers and customers) concentration and trust positively moderate the relationship between green innovation and financial performance. This research concerns the particularity of business groups' green innovation practices in China, which not only contributes to the research on the effect of BG's green innovation on corporate performance in an emerging market context but also deepens our understanding of the role of its internal supply chain partnership from the perspective of concentration and trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditionary point considers the stratagem relationship of SCP (supply. chain partnership) which can be strengthened mutual relationship with supplies by holding the same stratagem to enhances performance of supply chain management. At present, many scholars have studied this relationship more and more, but much papers are not satisfyingly explain complex relationship with supplies. Because the more complex and the more dynamic the market changes, the more flexile the custom demand. So the tradition point faces new challenge, which relationship with supplies not only has the same stratagem based on long-profit but also has more flexile for adapting demand of market. In this paper, we use theory of biology and complex adaptive system (CAS), points out the new relationship model called co-evolution relationship of SCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the latter half of the 20th Century company director's performance and bonuses were assessed on the basis of whether they had succeeded in building "Long Term Shareholder Value". But financial mismanagement as evidenced by major corporations such as Enron, Worldcom, and more recently Shell, has given way to those who argue that companies, especially multinational companies, and their directors, have a much wider responsibility than simply to shareholders. This paper deals with supplying chain partnership for sustainable textile production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buying firms' sales and reputation will be greatly damaged by any non-responsible behaviors on the part of suppliers, especially when those suppliers, like small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), have restricted resources and capabilities. To eradicate these risks, a growing number of buying firms have introduced socially responsible supplier development (SRSD). SRSD, including monitoring and evaluating suppliers, can provide them with incentives and assistance. Based on configuration theory and contingency theory, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is adopted in this study to examine how SRSD practices adopted by buying firms, supply chain partnership, and market turbulence affect the corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance of their SME suppliers. We find that, as core factors, supplier monitoring, supplier assistance, and supply chain partnership can work together with peripheral conditions to achieve superior CSR performance. In addition, even at different levels of market turbulence, superior CSR performance can be realized through different causal configurations. • This study provides a four-dimensional framework for buyers' socially responsible supplier development SRSD within SMEs: supplier monitoring, supplier evaluation, supplier incentive, and supplier assistance. • SME suppliers' CSR performance can be improved through a combination of SRSD practices adopted by buying firms, supply chain partnership, and market turbulence. • Fuzzy-set qualitative competitive analysis (fsQCA) offers deeper insight into SRSD by examining combinations of these factors, rather than one single factor, when achieving SME suppliers' superior CSR performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]