Purpose The purpose of this paper is to create an understanding on the magnitude and dimension of supply chain collaboration (SCC) reported in the literature. The detailed review discusses various indicators that help companies to implement collaboration successfully and create awareness on the barriers faced while initiating collaboration in supply chain (SC). Design/methodology/approach The meta-analysis includes full-text papers retrieved from the Web of Science database using verified keywords. The articles are reviewed for identifying the performance indicators used to evaluate the SC. The systematic review is performed for the collaborative techniques in the following categories: information sharing (IS); vendor managed inventory; and collaborative planning, forecasting and replenishment. The papers are then comprehensively analyzed for the approaches, and the key findings are mentioned along with the future scope. Findings The review suggests that the SC relationship, trust, quality of IS and technological involvement are to be focused for successful implementation of the collaborative technique. Proper collaboration helps SC partners to enhance their technique of operations in an effective manner which results in high business turnovers. Originality/value The review paper provides a quantitative study of SCC. A bird’s eye view of the scopes and benefits of using SCC for the academic scholars and industrial personnel are the primary concern discussed.

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The objective of this paper is to introduce the concept of real time collaboration for inventory distribution management in supply chains using Google spreadsheet. The capability of Google spreadsheet to use for a complex structure of supply chain is demonstrated using simulation for inventory distribution management. To demonstrate the collaboration capabilities for inventory distribution management, a role play game is developed using the Google spreadsheet. The two periodic review policies considered for the simulation are Order Up-To (OUT) and (r, S) where, r is reorder point and S is maximum inventory level. Using these policies a two year simulation is carried which could demonstrate on-line inventory distribution management capability for 15-member 4-echelon divergent supply chain. The 4-member 4-echelon role play game could demonstrate collaborative capabilities of Google spreadsheet for inventory distribution in a supply chain.