Priorities and determinants for supply chain management skills development in manufacturing firms

Lorentz, Harri; Töyli, Juuso; Solakivi, Tomi; Ojala, Lauri

doi:10.1108/scm-03-2012-0111

Cited by 54 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…The terms 'supply chain management' and 'logistics management' are included because these terms are interchangeably used (Cooper et al, 1997;Lorentz et al, 2013). In total, 55 related literatures were gathered that match the keywords (see Table 1).…”

Section: Scope Of Literature Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It mu st be stressed that the list of literature in Table 1 showcases the CSF literature concerning both logistics and SCM studies. In other words, literature gathered are both from logistics and supply chain themed literature, as these terms are often used interchangeably (Mangan et al, 2008;Lorentz et al, 2013). 5 Table 1: Summary of CSF Studies in SCM Author (Year) SCM Field Critical Success Factors Chiu (1995) Integrated Logistics Management System…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Critical success factors of supply chain management: a literature survey and Pareto analysis

Talib

Hamid

Thoo

2015

EuroMed Journal of Business

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Structured AbstractPurpose: The aim of this study is three-pronged. Firstly, to review the existing critical success factors (CSF) literature in the context of supply chain management (SCM). Secondly, to analyse the occurrence frequency of every possible CSF in SCM literature. Thirdly, to identify the 'vital few' and the 'useful many' CSF that are harmonized across the SCM field.Design/methodology/approach: A time-specific and term-sensitive literature review technique is undertaken to generate a list of possible CSF in SCM. The review yielded 55 papers, but only 26 empirical CSF papers were selected for analysis as the reliability and validity of the factors had been rigorously tested. Consequently, a Pareto analysis approach was applied to trace the CSF frequency of occurrence in SCM literature. By performing a Pareto analysis, this present study is able to id entify and categorize the 'vital few' and 'useful many' CSF that are consistent throughout various fields of SCM. The review and results are tabulated and a Pareto diagram has been constructed to provide a summary of findings.Findings: Out of the 26 selected empirical papers, 25 potent CSF in SCM literature have been extracted. From the Pareto analysis, 9 CSF represent 80.68 percentage of occurrence which is regarded as the 'vital few' CSF in SCM. The remaining 16 CSF represent 19.32 percentage of occurrence and is regarded as the 'useful many' CSF in SCM. The 9 'vital CSF' are immensely important, because in order to achieve supply chain and operation success, one must recognize the few vital factors that are responsible for the larger impact onto the industry compared to the other 16 'useful many' CSF. Practical implications:The study offers some sense of assistance to SCM managers in highlighting the vital few CSF that matter most, regardless of their nature of SCM fields. Thus, saving their energy, time, and resources in determining the critical pieces of information. For academicians, this study provides a platform for future SCM CSF research and the results could aid researchers in developing the research instrument.Originality/value: This study is the first attempt to apply Pareto analysis for SCM CSF studies and critically analyzing a wide range of SCM CSF literature. The result could allow supply chain managers to focus on the internal factors, as it could implicate the external factors, and is vital for sustainable supply chain operation, plus, it could stimulate potential researcher opportunities in linking SCM CSF and firm performance.

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Section: Scope Of Literature Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Critical success factors of supply chain management: a literature survey and Pareto analysis

Talib

Hamid

Thoo

2015

EuroMed Journal of Business

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“…Commitment and flexibility were seen necessary by all respondents, which could be demonstrated by undergraduates whilst working on group projects, which require a certain level of flexibility and adaptability. Flexibility and adaptability has become pivotal nowadays, as the structure of supply chains change based on; information technology (IT) (Bowersox, 2002;Lorenz et al, 2013), product proliferation and shorter product life cycle times with smaller and more frequent shipments which require quick responses (Bowersox, 2002;Lorenz et al, 2013), globalisation of business (Basnet, 2000;Bowersox, 2002;Lorenz et al, 2013), and the transition of business towards integrative management (Bowersox, 2002). Hence, in reflection of these rapidly changing trends in the supply chain, graduates require greater flexibility to respond.…”

Section: Decision Making Skillsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Textbook teaching becomes quickly outdated, where graduates are encouraged to apply principles to the workplace, generally under-represented in the textbooks (ibid). Supply chain literature highlights skill changes based on; information technology (IT) (Bowersox, 2002;Lorenz et al, 2013), globalisation of business (Basnet, 2000;Bowersox, 2002;Lorenz et al, 2013), and the transition of business towards integrative management (Bowersox, 2002). Kirby (2003) recognised information technology (IT), new concepts, and their role in advancing the supply chain, but commented also on the crucial role of supply chain talent, leading to supply chain success.…”

Section: Supply Chain Skills Set In Higher Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The growing scale and scope of the supply chain: a reflection on supply chain graduate skills

Jordan

Bak

2016

SCM

100

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Purpose -The growing scale and scope of the supply chain requires a greater understanding of the broader supply chain skills picture. This study assesses the supply chain skills needs within the context of a UK based higher education institution involving graduates, academics and employers in order to appreciate the graduate skills demands of supply chains.Design/Methodology/Approach -A mixed methods study entailing in-depth interviews with academics followed by a questionnaire distributed to graduates and employers has been designed and utilised. Findings -The findings indicate that the changing supply chain scope encourages the requisition and development of different supply chain skills with varied levels of emphasis in relation to twenty five skills identified in the literature. Key graduate skills needs are highlighted, including time management, collaborative learning, teamwork and problem solving, with the addition of two supply chain skill areas, namely specialist training and the understanding and application of regulations. The findings of the current study presents a limited emphasis on information technology skills, despite the significant information technology advancements and changes in supply chains. Research implications -The study has been carried out in a UK university delivering undergraduate supply chain management courses. It would be beneficial to test whether the findings are exemplary across other supply chain undergraduate courses, and to investigate the integration of these skills within the supply chain syllabus, and how employers, graduates and academic parties could actively engage in developing the agenda for future supply chain skills needs.Practical implications -This research paper highlights the gaps in supply chain skills, which inevitably puts considerable pressure on operatives and managers whose responsibility it is to ensure compliance with professional bodies as well as regulations.Originality/value -This paper contributes to the supply chain skills discussion and reports subject relevant challenges for supply chain educators by engaging three key stakeholders; graduate employers, graduates and academics. The findings have generated additional supply chain skills to the academic literature as well as providing an understanding of the weighting of skills in terms of their importance and application to industry needs.

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“…Furthermore, it could be established that the SC strategy is all the actions necessary to fulfil its vision and its mission over time. Therefore the SC strategy is responsible for its progression of time, the success of its objectives and the identification of priorities required (Kim, 2013;Lorentz et al, 2013;Vachon et al, 2009).…”

Section: Bpmj 216mentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards the identification of important strategic priorities of the supply chain network

Tsironis

Matthopoulos

2015

Business Process Management Journal

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Purpose -Supply chain (SC) is a homogeneous and interconnected network of firms which manages supplies, storages and handles material, information, personnel, equipment and final products throughout its length. The SC can be the means by which businesses add value to customers and therefore competitive advantage in the international market. Competitiveness no longer exists among individual members of a SC but between SCs. International literature pointed out, that strategy and competitiveness associated with specific strategic priorities. In this paper will be documented that the priorities as objectives of strategic importance comprise the key areas for the performance of the SC network. To support this, a systematic framework of strategic priorities, will be developed, which will visualize the major SC assessment areas that the SC network should turn its improvement efforts. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach -In total, 200 high level managers from 71 Greek manufacturing companies covering the whole country using their own SC networks took part in the study. Data analysis were conducted to create a model that describes the strategic priorities which are important, for the competitive advantage of their SC network. Findings -The results revealed seven critical strategic priorities: internal flexibility, production quality, waste reduction, customer focus, sustainability, reduction of production cost and efficiency. This paper analytically explores the strategic practices that seem to influence SC network performance and generates a systematic framework of the critical strategic priorities of the SC network performance. Practical implications -The proposed framework has six major advantages. First the research outcome enables managers to design their SC strategy. Second, proved the great importance of the strategic priorities institutionalization. Third, makes clear to stakeholders which are the SC network performance issues to consider. Fourth, the proposed framework could serve as a suitable formula for assessing the effectiveness and readiness of SC to face the competition. Fifth, it is an effective way of prioritizing the strategic practices as it provides the most important areas on which the firm can base tasks like evaluation, benchmarking and comparison of its SC both as a network and as individual firms. Finally, the proposed framework is an effective way to evaluate the consistency of strategic objectives and actions adopted for the SC. Originality/value -Literature review revealed a very important conclusion. It has been developed a broad discussion concerning issues on strategic practices which are responsible for the competitive advantage of the SC network. However, there has not been a significant effort on integrating all the practices under the spectrum of the SC in order to distinguish the most important of these practices that can lead to competitive advantages.

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Priorities and determinants for supply chain management skills development in manufacturing firms

Cited by 54 publications

References 77 publications

Critical success factors of supply chain management: a literature survey and Pareto analysis

Critical success factors of supply chain management: a literature survey and Pareto analysis

The growing scale and scope of the supply chain: a reflection on supply chain graduate skills

Towards the identification of important strategic priorities of the supply chain network

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