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This paper describes the extent of supplier access to customer forecast information and the perceived quality of such information. It also explains the impact of forecast information access and forecast information quality on supply chain performance. Methodology/approach: Forecast information quality is defined, and a measurement instrument is developed from theory. The analysis is based on a survey of the most important suppliers of 136 Swedish companies. Findings: Findings show that a large proportion of the suppliers receive customer forecasts, but that the forecast information quality is lower further upstream in the supply chain and, in some variables, lower for make-to-order suppliers. The greatest information quality deficiency of the forecast was that it was considered unreliable. The only significant difference in supply chain performance found between make-to-stock suppliers with and without access to forecast was related to the use of safety stock in finished goods inventory. Research limitations/implications: The study contains two types of conclusions, those developed from the conceptual discussion in the theoretical framework and those of the empirical study. In the theoretical framework, measurement instruments for forecast information quality and supply chain performance (corrective actions, preventive actions and customer service performance) were developed. The study identified several empirical relationships, but it was conducted on a samplewith large spread. Practical implications: The understanding of the performance impact of forecast information quality. Forecast information quality shows quality deficiencies on all variables, which indicates room for improvement. Originality/value of paper: Research on supply chain information quality as well as dyadic research approaches are rare.

Asexual reproduction by cloning may affect the genetic structure of populations, their potential to evolve, and, among foundation species, contributions to ecosystem functions. Macroalgae of the genus Fucus are known to produce attached plants only by sexual recruitment. Recently, however, clones of attached plants recruited by asexual reproduction were observed in a few populations of Fucus radicans Bergström et L. Kautsky and F. vesiculosus L. inside the Baltic Sea. Herein we assess the distribution and prevalence of clonality in Baltic fucoids using nine polymorphic microsatellite loci and samples of F. radicans and F. vesiculosus from 13 Baltic sites. Clonality was more common in F. radicans than in F. vesiculosus, and in both species it tended to be most common in northern Baltic sites, although variation among close populations was sometimes extensive. Individual clonal lineages were mostly restricted to single or nearby locations, but one clonal lineage of F. radicans dominated five of 10 populations and was widely distributed over 550 × 100 km of coast. Populations dominated by a few clonal lineages were common in F. radicans, and these were less genetically variable than in other populations. As thalli recruited by cloning produced gametes, a possible explanation for this reduced genetic variation is that dominance of one or a few clonal lineages biases the gamete pool resulting in a decreased effective population size and thereby loss of genetic variation by genetic drift. Baltic fucoids are important habitat-forming species, and genetic structure and presence of clonality have implications for conservation strategies.

PurposeThe aim of the study is to explore the possible practical impact of big data/business intelligence and Internet of Things on the purchasing process of premium automotive manufacturers, and to evaluate its theoretical impact with a transaction cost economics approach.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory multiple-case study was carried out, using qualitative content analysis and cross-case synthesis.FindingsCollaborative platforms and a new purchaser role were found to impact the entire process. In the strategic purchasing 4.0 process, co-creation of specifications, automated prequalification, and parameter-based negotiations are some expected changes. The operative purchasing 4.0 process is shaped by, for example, interactive call-offs. Transaction cost is expected to decrease by reduced uncertainty and supplier specificity, as well as by lowered information search, negotiation, and monitoring costs.Research limitations/implicationsThe description of a potential purchasing 4.0 process for premium automotive manufacturers is given.Practical implicationsPremium automotive manufacturers can develop strategies to push the existing standards of purchasing. Suppliers can create scenarios to allow for future compliance at the purchasing–sales interface.Social implicationsNew technologies' effects on the workforce are considered.Originality/valueNo identified study focused on the impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on the purchasing process of premium automotive manufacturers.

The purpose of this article is to explain to what degree supplier relationship obstacles and operational tool obstacles hinder supply chain integration of the performance management process. Methodology/approach: This is a hypothetic-deductive study, where the results are based on a survey to 257 purchasing managers in nine manufacturing industries in Sweden. Findings: Supplier relationship obstacles (lack of trust, different goals and priorities and lack of parallel communication structure) were found to significantly hinder performance management process integration the most, which is in accordance with previous studies. The operational tool obstacles (manual performance data management and nonstandardized performance metrics) were seen on an overall level to hinder performance management process integration. However, the hypothesis that non-standardized performance metrics hinder performance management process integration was not verified, which does not accord with previous studies. Research limitations/implications: Using single informants in data collection. Practical implications: Contrary to previous studies, it has applied a broader, quantitative survey methodology, and hence provides deeper knowledge about the impact