<p>The purpose of this research is to refine the notion of Supply Chain Orientation (SCO) as originally posited by Mentzer et al. (2001) and Min and Mentzer (2004). Supply chain orientation is defined to be “the extent to which there is a predisposition among chain members toward viewing the supply chain as an integrated entity and on satisfying chain needs in an integrated way” (Hult et al., 2008, p. 527). This orientation (management philosophy), when implemented, manifests as Supply Chain Management (SCM) within and across organizations.</p> <p>The process of ‘refining’ supply chain orientation involved three stages: determining additional SCO factors / indicators beyond those already in existence, refining the total set of factors / indicators through factor analysis techniques, and associating the SCO concept to other SCM-related concepts. Determining additional SCO factors and the vetting of the existing SCO model was done through a qualitative method (structured interviews with industry experts). Analysis of the interview data resulted into two new SCO factors—SCM Capability and Measurement Propensity—being identified. The high accuracy / low generalizability nature of the interview process required an industrywide survey in order to gather su cient quantitative data for a meaningful analysis. The new SCO factors were developed into survey questionnaire measurement items.</p> <p>An invitation to participate in a web-based, quantitative survey was e-mailed to executive at roughly a third of the manufacturing companies in Canada. The results of that data gathering exercise were analyzed in a multi-stage process. First, after removing ‘motherhood statements’ from the indicator set, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to determine the underlying structure of SCO. Three factors—Benevolence (Trust), Internal SCM Focus, and Partner Reliability—emerged through this process. This “refined” SCO construct was then subject to a rigourous confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) process. </p> <p>The CFA process found the SCO factors to be reliable. A dependent variable, Supply Chain Operational Performance (SCOP) was found to be positively influenced by changes in SCO. SCO was found to be a unique strategic orientation through the literature review process and validated as its own construct through a discriminant validity process. SCO was determined to be a second-order reflective latent variable, and top management support was found to be an antecedent to SCO.</p> <p>Of interest to SCM practitioners and academics, SCO was found to be statistically invariable between respondents who were or were not members of a SCM industry association. As well, SCO did not vary outside statistical bounds across the supply chain from ultimate supplier (Earth) to ultimate customer. However, SCO was found to be stronger in companies that employed an “e cient” supply chain strategy (using the taxonomy of Lee (2002)) versus other generic strategies (like “agile” supply chain strategy).</p> <p>The contributions of this research to academics include a parsimonious definition of SCO which meets the criteria of Wacker (1998), an operationalization of the Lee (2002) model, and additional evidence of the power of Parallel Analysis (PA) of Thompson (2004) in determining factors in an EFA. Supply chain orientation is an important theoretical ‘building block’ from which SCM theory can be built and through the refinement process, SCO was tied into the dynamic capabilities area of the larger resource-based view (RBV) theoretical framework.</p> <p>Supply chain orientation was found to positively influence SCOP. The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals reported that business logistics (SCM) costs in the United States alone in 2009 were 1.3 trillion dollars. Hence, improving upon the understanding of the mechanisms of supply chain management and its components can have substantial economic consequences.</p>

<p>The purpose of this research is to refine the notion of Supply Chain Orientation (SCO) as originally posited by Mentzer et al. (2001) and Min and Mentzer (2004). Supply chain orientation is defined to be “the extent to which there is a predisposition among chain members toward viewing the supply chain as an integrated entity and on satisfying chain needs in an integrated way” (Hult et al., 2008, p. 527). This orientation (management philosophy), when implemented, manifests as Supply Chain Management (SCM) within and across organizations.</p> <p>The process of ‘refining’ supply chain orientation involved three stages: determining additional SCO factors / indicators beyond those already in existence, refining the total set of factors / indicators through factor analysis techniques, and associating the SCO concept to other SCM-related concepts. Determining additional SCO factors and the vetting of the existing SCO model was done through a qualitative method (structured interviews with industry experts). Analysis of the interview data resulted into two new SCO factors—SCM Capability and Measurement Propensity—being identified. The high accuracy / low generalizability nature of the interview process required an industrywide survey in order to gather su cient quantitative data for a meaningful analysis. The new SCO factors were developed into survey questionnaire measurement items.</p> <p>An invitation to participate in a web-based, quantitative survey was e-mailed to executive at roughly a third of the manufacturing companies in Canada. The results of that data gathering exercise were analyzed in a multi-stage process. First, after removing ‘motherhood statements’ from the indicator set, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to determine the underlying structure of SCO. Three factors—Benevolence (Trust), Internal SCM Focus, and Partner Reliability—emerged through this process. This “refined” SCO construct was then subject to a rigourous confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) process. </p> <p>The CFA process found the SCO factors to be reliable. A dependent variable, Supply Chain Operational Performance (SCOP) was found to be positively influenced by changes in SCO. SCO was found to be a unique strategic orientation through the literature review process and validated as its own construct through a discriminant validity process. SCO was determined to be a second-order reflective latent variable, and top management support was found to be an antecedent to SCO.</p> <p>Of interest to SCM practitioners and academics, SCO was found to be statistically invariable between respondents who were or were not members of a SCM industry association. As well, SCO did not vary outside statistical bounds across the supply chain from ultimate supplier (Earth) to ultimate customer. However, SCO was found to be stronger in companies that employed an “e cient” supply chain strategy (using the taxonomy of Lee (2002)) versus other generic strategies (like “agile” supply chain strategy).</p> <p>The contributions of this research to academics include a parsimonious definition of SCO which meets the criteria of Wacker (1998), an operationalization of the Lee (2002) model, and additional evidence of the power of Parallel Analysis (PA) of Thompson (2004) in determining factors in an EFA. Supply chain orientation is an important theoretical ‘building block’ from which SCM theory can be built and through the refinement process, SCO was tied into the dynamic capabilities area of the larger resource-based view (RBV) theoretical framework.</p> <p>Supply chain orientation was found to positively influence SCOP. The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals reported that business logistics (SCM) costs in the United States alone in 2009 were 1.3 trillion dollars. Hence, improving upon the understanding of the mechanisms of supply chain management and its components can have substantial economic consequences.</p>

presente trabalho tem o objetivo de analisar o desenvolvimento das orientações e escolhas estratégicas, ao longo de dez anos, em empresas brasileiras de performance superior. A partir de uma abordagem longitudinal, de natureza qualitativa, foram analisadas duas empresas em posição de destaque no cenário mercadológico nacional. As empresas estudadas foram o Grupo Gerdau e a Natura Cosméticos S. A. Para acessar as orientações e escolhas estratégicas, optou-se por uma triangulação de fontes primárias e secundárias, que incluiu entrevistas com Diretores, Presidentes e Executivos, análise de relatórios anuais e análise de campanhas publicitárias, pelo período dos dez anos. Os resultados revelam que as orientações estratégicas norteiam o desenvolvimento de estratégias, que possuem um forte componente cultural e que embasam as práticas gerenciais das companhias. As contribuições da tese aqui apresentada incluem a identificação das interações entre as orientações estratégicas desenvolvidas para responder às mudanças no mercado, bem como a indicação de algumas das iniciativas desenvolvidas pelas companhias no sentido de estender suas crenças, valores e competências a seus fornecedores e clientes.Ademais, foi possível observar como evoluem, nas grandes companhias que foram analisadas, as escolhas e caminhos estratégicos, ao longo de um continuum de tempo. Outro importante resultado da pesquisa aqui apresentada foi a identificação do caráter estável e constante da orientação estratégica central de uma dada companhia. Além disto, foi possível identificar os componentes das diferentes orientações estudadas o que fornece insights e auxilia na demarcação dos conceitos para futuros trabalhos que possam ser realizados sobre o tema. / The present work aims to analyze the development of strategic orientations and of strategic choices along a period of ten years, in Brazilian companies which present superior performances. Employing a qualitative longitudinal approach in the present study, were analyzed two different companies which posses a standing out position on national marketing scenery. The studied companies were Grupo Gerdau and Natura Cosméticos S. A. In order to access their strategic orientations and choices, it was made an option for a triangulation technique, which included interviews with some of their directors, presidents and other executives in charge, and the analysis of annual reports and of publicity campaigns made throughout this selected period of ten years. The results of this research gave evidences of the facts that the strategic orientations lead the development of the company strategies, and that they possess a strong cultural component, and that they base the managing practices of the companies. The contributions offered by the here presented thesis include the identification of the main interactions between the strategic orientations developed by the firms to propose an answer to the changes observed in the market, as well as the indication of some of the initiatives which were developed by the companies, aiming to extend their beliefs and values and competences to their suppliers and clients. Additionally, it was possible to observe, in the analyzed companies, how do evolve the strategic choices and the strategic routes, along a continuum of time. Another important result brought out by the same here presented research was the identification of the standing and constant character of the core strategic orientation in a specific company. Moreover, it was also possible to identify the components of the different studied orientations, and this aspect offer important insights and helps on the establishment of concepts and constructs for future works to be made on the same subject.

presente trabalho tem o objetivo de analisar o desenvolvimento das orientações e escolhas estratégicas, ao longo de dez anos, em empresas brasileiras de performance superior. A partir de uma abordagem longitudinal, de natureza qualitativa, foram analisadas duas empresas em posição de destaque no cenário mercadológico nacional. As empresas estudadas foram o Grupo Gerdau e a Natura Cosméticos S. A. Para acessar as orientações e escolhas estratégicas, optou-se por uma triangulação de fontes primárias e secundárias, que incluiu entrevistas com Diretores, Presidentes e Executivos, análise de relatórios anuais e análise de campanhas publicitárias, pelo período dos dez anos. Os resultados revelam que as orientações estratégicas norteiam o desenvolvimento de estratégias, que possuem um forte componente cultural e que embasam as práticas gerenciais das companhias. As contribuições da tese aqui apresentada incluem a identificação das interações entre as orientações estratégicas desenvolvidas para responder às mudanças no mercado, bem como a indicação de algumas das iniciativas desenvolvidas pelas companhias no sentido de estender suas crenças, valores e competências a seus fornecedores e clientes.Ademais, foi possível observar como evoluem, nas grandes companhias que foram analisadas, as escolhas e caminhos estratégicos, ao longo de um continuum de tempo. Outro importante resultado da pesquisa aqui apresentada foi a identificação do caráter estável e constante da orientação estratégica central de uma dada companhia. Além disto, foi possível identificar os componentes das diferentes orientações estudadas o que fornece insights e auxilia na demarcação dos conceitos para futuros trabalhos que possam ser realizados sobre o tema. / The present work aims to analyze the development of strategic orientations and of strategic choices along a period of ten years, in Brazilian companies which present superior performances. Employing a qualitative longitudinal approach in the present study, were analyzed two different companies which posses a standing out position on national marketing scenery. The studied companies were Grupo Gerdau and Natura Cosméticos S. A. In order to access their strategic orientations and choices, it was made an option for a triangulation technique, which included interviews with some of their directors, presidents and other executives in charge, and the analysis of annual reports and of publicity campaigns made throughout this selected period of ten years. The results of this research gave evidences of the facts that the strategic orientations lead the development of the company strategies, and that they possess a strong cultural component, and that they base the managing practices of the companies. The contributions offered by the here presented thesis include the identification of the main interactions between the strategic orientations developed by the firms to propose an answer to the changes observed in the market, as well as the indication of some of the initiatives which were developed by the companies, aiming to extend their beliefs and values and competences to their suppliers and clients. Additionally, it was possible to observe, in the analyzed companies, how do evolve the strategic choices and the strategic routes, along a continuum of time. Another important result brought out by the same here presented research was the identification of the standing and constant character of the core strategic orientation in a specific company. Moreover, it was also possible to identify the components of the different studied orientations, and this aspect offer important insights and helps on the establishment of concepts and constructs for future works to be made on the same subject.

presente trabalho tem o objetivo de analisar o desenvolvimento das orientações e escolhas estratégicas, ao longo de dez anos, em empresas brasileiras de performance superior. A partir de uma abordagem longitudinal, de natureza qualitativa, foram analisadas duas empresas em posição de destaque no cenário mercadológico nacional. As empresas estudadas foram o Grupo Gerdau e a Natura Cosméticos S. A. Para acessar as orientações e escolhas estratégicas, optou-se por uma triangulação de fontes primárias e secundárias, que incluiu entrevistas com Diretores, Presidentes e Executivos, análise de relatórios anuais e análise de campanhas publicitárias, pelo período dos dez anos. Os resultados revelam que as orientações estratégicas norteiam o desenvolvimento de estratégias, que possuem um forte componente cultural e que embasam as práticas gerenciais das companhias. As contribuições da tese aqui apresentada incluem a identificação das interações entre as orientações estratégicas desenvolvidas para responder às mudanças no mercado, bem como a indicação de algumas das iniciativas desenvolvidas pelas companhias no sentido de estender suas crenças, valores e competências a seus fornecedores e clientes.Ademais, foi possível observar como evoluem, nas grandes companhias que foram analisadas, as escolhas e caminhos estratégicos, ao longo de um continuum de tempo. Outro importante resultado da pesquisa aqui apresentada foi a identificação do caráter estável e constante da orientação estratégica central de uma dada companhia. Além disto, foi possível identificar os componentes das diferentes orientações estudadas o que fornece insights e auxilia na demarcação dos conceitos para futuros trabalhos que possam ser realizados sobre o tema. / The present work aims to analyze the development of strategic orientations and of strategic choices along a period of ten years, in Brazilian companies which present superior performances. Employing a qualitative longitudinal approach in the present study, were analyzed two different companies which posses a standing out position on national marketing scenery. The studied companies were Grupo Gerdau and Natura Cosméticos S. A. In order to access their strategic orientations and choices, it was made an option for a triangulation technique, which included interviews with some of their directors, presidents and other executives in charge, and the analysis of annual reports and of publicity campaigns made throughout this selected period of ten years. The results of this research gave evidences of the facts that the strategic orientations lead the development of the company strategies, and that they possess a strong cultural component, and that they base the managing practices of the companies. The contributions offered by the here presented thesis include the identification of the main interactions between the strategic orientations developed by the firms to propose an answer to the changes observed in the market, as well as the indication of some of the initiatives which were developed by the companies, aiming to extend their beliefs and values and competences to their suppliers and clients. Additionally, it was possible to observe, in the analyzed companies, how do evolve the strategic choices and the strategic routes, along a continuum of time. Another important result brought out by the same here presented research was the identification of the standing and constant character of the core strategic orientation in a specific company. Moreover, it was also possible to identify the components of the different studied orientations, and this aspect offer important insights and helps on the establishment of concepts and constructs for future works to be made on the same subject.

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