Purpose - The purpose of this study is to advance the understanding of collaboration in supplychains. To answer this purpose, the following research questions were developed: 1) What arepossible barriers to collaboration, and 2) How can such barriers be managed? Method - This study was conducted by a qualitative single case study with a grounded theoryapproach. In total, 17 interviews were conducted in three waves with varying intentions, andfindings were derived using a thematic analysis. Findings – The findings of this study are presented in a framework for bridging barriers. In total,seven barriers have been encountered: 1) lack of traceability, 2) mistrust in data, 3) knowledgedeficit, 4) silo mentality, 5) lack of transparency, 6) misalignment, and 7) lack of standardization.Moreover, four bridges have been identified: 1) joint goals and metrics, 2) information system,3) education and training, and 4) steering committee. Theoretical and managerial implications - This study expands the literature by unraveling indepthknowledge of collaboration in supply chains based on insights from large industrialcompanies. In specific, it contributes to ongoing examinations by shredding the lights on barriersand bridges, conceptualized from antecedents and activities. Furthermore, it added practically with a framework that managers can use as guidance for bridging barriers in collaboration. Limitations and future research - This study is limited to a single case study. As a result, futureresearch is suggested to validate the findings in another context and geographical areas.

This paper studies managerial behavior in inter-firm supply chain relationships. I first answer two questions: When a firm outsources to a 3PL, a firm that provide multiple logistics services for use by customers, what is the impact on the managerial functions that the outsourcing firm carries out on an ongoing basis? How do the managerial functions impact the relationship of managerial competence on supply chain performance? These questions are answered via the examination of a sample of companies operating in the US and international markets who purchase services from 3PL providers. I find that the ongoing management of outsourcing partially mediates the relationship of managerial competence on supply chain performance. The higher the managerial competence, the less time spent managing established outsourcing relationships. This negative association holds, whether the firm does or does not employ the services of a 4PL, a firm that organizes 3rd party logistics providers. This study also finds that of the managerial functions of planning, coordinating, leading, educating, and monitoring, that only monitoring is significant with respect to managerial competence levels. Managerial units with moderate or high competence levels are about two times as likely to monitor their relationships with their 3PL providers, as managerial units with lower competence levels. Supply chain managers concentrate their monitoring efforts on client/provider relationships, based upon their view of these relationships. The managerial units with moderate or high competence levels are two times as likely to monitor when they have a least favorable view, as opposed to when they have a moderate or more favorable view. The supply chain managers who measure lower in competence make no such adjustment in time spent monitoring their client's performance, regardless of their view of the client/provider relationships. The findings just discussed spurred two additional studies in which I explore and test the importance of trust in collaborative supply chain relationships (CSCRs). The first is done via 19 semi-structured interviews with supply chain managers, while the second utilizes 50 surveys. Particular attention was paid to assessing only those managers in collaborative, as opposed to arms-length relationships. From the results of the interviews I provide a taxonomy for understanding trust signals in new CSCRs. I also obtain a number of thick descriptions for understanding what constitutes psychological contract breach (PCB), the operational and relational expectations of the customer in the collaboration, and a contemporary view of the goals of supply chain collaboration. These results were incorporated into the scales utilized in the survey research and have been validated. In each of the two studies, I carry out hypothesis testing, which reveals that initial trust is important to decrease feelings of psychological contract breach, whether the respondent is the customer or the supplier to the relationship. However, in one case PCB is felt more strongly when the respondent speaks of his collaborative supplier for all levels of initial trust. In the other, it is felt more strongly in reference to the customer, given higher levels of initial trust. Once PCB has occurred, meeting operational expectations alone is not sufficient to instill feelings of goal achievement; meeting relational expectations is also required. Continuing on with PCB, I find that its magnitude and established trust are important factors in the extension of continued trust and future collaborative intentions. For all magnitudes of PCB, the higher the established trust, the higher the subsequent trust up to a tipping point, at which point trust diminishes. Intentions to remain in the collaborative relationship, additionally, are subject to a tipping point. Last but not least, I establish an association between the importance of trust and the just distribution of rewards. By examining the payoff structures of actual supply chain collaborations, however, I find that rewards are not always shared equally. My research makes a unique internally-focused contribution to the literature. It looks at a firm's supply chain managerial unit as a driver of firm performance in outsourcing relationships. Additionally, it looks at the process the managerial units goes through in extending initial trust to a collaborative partner, how it moves beyond any psychological contract breaches that might occur, and the rewards the collaborative partner receives as an outcome of the collaborative effort. / Business Administration/Marketing

Yes / This article explores the relationship between sustainability strategies and future energy needs, supply chains need to reduce their CO2 emissions through developing their green credentials and improving performance. Knowledge management (KM) is an enabler to support collaboration efforts. The SCM and KM areas have largely focused on improving organisational performance. While the latter has yielded successful outcomes in different sectors, there is still a scarcity of research on identifying influential factors highlighting those aspects which may enable green supply chain collaboration (GrSCC), thus leading to sustainable energy futures and carbon-efficient production. This paper examines the role of KM in facilitating GrSCC. Through the identification of key factors extrapolated from the literature, a model for implementing GrSCC using a futures-based perspective is proposed. This paper inductively demonstrates the relationship between identified GrSCC factors through fuzzy cognitive mapping technique. Findings support a futures-based perspective that enhances understanding and refines forward-looking strategies for GrSCC.

Supply chains have become more complex in the global economy, which has made supply chain disruptions inevitable. Disruptions can cause loss of profitability and hinder business growth. The goal of this multiple case study was to explore strategies to mitigate the effects of disruption in grocery store supply chains. The conceptual framework for this study was the resource dependency theory, which stipulates that firms rely on other businesses in the external environment for critical resources to create a competitive edge. Four purposively selected participants from 4 grocery store businesses in Northwest Arkansas participated in semistructured interviews and provided organizational documentation for this study. The participants were supply chain managers who had knowledge about disruptions and had successfully mitigated disruptions in their grocery stores' supply chains. Yin's 5-step process was used to analyze data, which involved compiling the database, disassembling data, reassembling data, interpreting data, and making a conclusion. Four themes emerged from the data analysis: supply chain partners' collaboration, multiple supply base and supplier qualification, inventory management, and information technology and communication. The uninterrupted flow of grocery merchandise to the community could result in a positive social change by helping to ensure that community members have timely access to food.

Background: When it comes to how Supply Chain (SC) works, it can often be viewed as a chain linking entities together. The linking process can often be viewed as collaboration between two or more SC partners. Without a connection, or collaboration, goods cannot circulate between the beginning of the chain all the way to the end of the chain. This is why collaborating with your partner and being aligned on the same level is important, which is often not the case, as struggles typically appear in the process. When it comes to solutions for these struggles, Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools could be an answer. This study aims to understand this relationship, as there is little to no academic attention towards AI solutions for collaboration in the SC. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how AI technologies can influence collaboration between SC partners, as well as to understand which could be the outcomes of an AI mediated SC collaboration. Furthermore, the intent is to summarize the findings into a framework for better visualization. Method: To fulfill the purpose of the study, an exploratory qualitative study has been conducted using 13 qualitative interviews with managers and highly skilled individuals in SC, while using an inductive approach. Finally, the data has been analyzed and interpreted using a thematic analysis, which resulted in five dimensions: information automation, AI aided human based decisions, AI based decisions, incentive alignment automation and outcomes of AI mediated collaboration. Conclusion: The study presented a new framework that explains the new dynamic relationship between the AI affected collaboration elements, with information automation sitting at the roots and coordinating the process. Furthermore, by automating information flows, forecasts and analyses could also be automated, making the incentive automation and decision making elements faster and better focused on real data, thus strengthening the outcomes of the collaboration. Lastly, an AI mediated collaboration could affect the trust among partners, as well as how power dynamics work in a partnership.

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[pt] Colaboração na cadeia de suprimentos (SCC) é um tema que tem sido amplamente discutido na literatura e é aceito que a criação de uma cadeia de suprimentos sincronizada leva ao aumento da capacidade de resposta e a menores custos de estoque. O Planejamento, Previsão e Reabastecimento Colaborativo (CPFR) é considerado por muitos autores como a mais avançada e abrangente iniciativa em SCC. Apesar do crescente número de publicações sobre CPFR, a literatura acadêmica revela a ausência de uma pesquisa que sintetize o estado da arte sobre CPFR. Desta forma, esta dissertação tem como objetivo, por meio da revisão sistemática da literatura, reunir e integrar o conhecimento sobre CPFR como um processo de negócio e como uma prática de gestão. Foram analisados 629 resumos e 47 artigos foram selecionados para a revisão e classificação. A dissertação analisa os modelos de CPFR, apresenta os principais facilitadores e barreiras para a implementação do CPFR e as diferenças entre CPFR e outras iniciativas de SCC e seus impactos no desempenho da cadeia de suprimentos (SC). Um modelo conceitual (framework) é proposto para guiar e organizar a revisão da literatura. A estrutura do framework abrange todos os elementos constitutivos necessários para descrever os elementos individuais do CPFR (contexto, insumos, estrutura e processos e resultados), suas relações e o impacto sobre o desempenho da empresa. O framework também mostra o papel funcional vertical do CPFR em construir uma ponte entre os negócios e planos estratégicos corporativos dos membros da SC com as operações conjuntas na SC. Apesar de existirem vários modelos para o CPFR, não há um consenso sobre as diferentes configurações para o CPFR. Estas diferenças são atribuídas ao estágio de desenvolvimento em modelos de maturidade, a diferentes contextos e estratégias de implementação, de acordo com a pesquisa da contingência em gestão de operações, e a singularidade dos recursos e dependências entre as empresas na cadeia de suprimentos, conforme a visão baseada em recursos e a visão baseada na dependência. A responsividade aparece como o principal objetivo na implementação do CPFR e o custobenefício do CPFR deve ser comparado com os de outras iniciativas de SCC para a escolha da mais adequada à cadeia de suprimentos. Apenas três estudos confirmatórios relatam o impacto do CPFR na cadeia de suprimentos. Esta dissertação contribui para uma melhor compreensão do tema e fornece indicações para futuras pesquisas e práticas em CPFR e SCC. / [en] Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR) is considered by many researches to be the most advanced and the most comprehensive Supply Chain Collaboration (SCC) initiative. Despite its relevance and growing number of publications, efforts to synthesise the overall state of the art in CPFR have been rather limited to date. As an effort to fill this gap, this dissertation aims to go beyond the highly dispersed work on CPFR by providing a systematic review of the literature and the key findings on the topic. The dissertation analyses CPFR models, discusses main enablers and barriers for implementation and CPFR and other SCC impact on Supply Chain (SC) performance. A framework is also proposed as an aide to assemble and organise the literature review. The structure of the framework embraces all the constitutive elements required to describe individual CPFR elements (context, inputs, structure and processes, outcomes and results), their relationships and impact upon firm performance. The framework also shows the vertical functional role of CPFR in bridging business and corporate strategic plans from SC members to joint SC operations. This dissertation contributes to a better understanding of the field and provides directions for future research and practice in CPFR and SCC.

En los últimos años la Logística Inversa se ha hecho relevante no solo para el mundo académico sino también para el empresarial. Las empresas dan cada día más importancia a esta área, debido a los factores medioambientales y a los beneficios derivados del mejoramiento de su proceso de devoluciones. Así mismo, para tener unos procesos de Logística Inversa eficientes y exitosos, es necesaria la colaboración entre los miembros de la cadena de suministro. Esta tesis se concentra en ambos aspectos, Colaboración y Logística Inversa.El propósito de esta tesis es doble; primero, analizar los problemas que sufren hoy en día las empresas en esta área, partiendo de una perspectiva general, y posteriormente analizando la industria editorial española. En segundo lugar, nosotros proponemos cuatro modelos matemáticos concernientes a los problemas de planificación que presentan las empresas cuando incorporan las devoluciones, y finalmente proponemos unas metodologías para solucionarlos. / During last years Reverse Logistics has become a relevant topic not only for academics but also for the business world. Companies are giving each day more and more importance to this field, because the environmental issues and the benefits that the company can obtain by the improvement of their return's processes. To obtain a successful and efficient Reverse Logistics processes there exist the need to collaborate along the supply chain. This thesis focuses on both of these two topics, Collaboration and Reverse Logistics. The aim of this thesis is twofold; first, we try to understand the returns processes' problems that companies are facing today from the management point of view, from a general perspective and afterwards on the editorial industry. Secondly, we propose some mathematical models and solution methods related to real planning problems faced by the companies when the returns are incorporated.

Background: Today’s organizations operate in a competitive and dynamic business environment in which the attainment of economic, social and environmental sustainability targets has become crucial for firms. Supply chain collaboration is considered as a strategic issue for the fulfillment of these targets. Thus, studies on supply chain collaboration for sustainability have increased, especially for manufacturing firms. However, there is a lack of research of the perspective of logistics service providers in this context, requesting scientific investigations. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore vertical supply chain collaboration between logistics service providers and their partners with regards to improving economic, environmental and social sustainability at logistics service providers. Method: Within this multiple case study and a deductive research approach, qualitative data from three logistics service providers is gathered by conducting interviews and analyzed. Firstly, each individual case is investigated by using an explanation building, and thereafter compared and generalized by means of a cross-case analysis. Findings and Conclusion: Considering the improvement of sustainability at logistics service providers, the research reveals that economic, environmental and social sustainability can be improved by vertical supply chain collaboration jointly conducted by logistics service providers and their key suppliers as well as key customers. However, strong interdependencies between the three sustainability dimensions are noticeable as they overlap in-between. Besides, the findings indicate that the executed vertical supply chain collaboration practices mostly have the potential to improve economic sustainability at logistics service providers. Environmental and social sustainability are less improved or sometimes even negatively affected.

A company cannot be more sustainable than its supply chain. Given their complexity and the need for collaborative, strategic action for sustainability across supplier networks this research takes a systems perspective to answer, “How can a Strategic Sustainable Development (SSD) lens support supplier network collaboration towards sustainability?”.The application of the SSD lens includes mapping barriers and enablers to collaboration for sustainability found in literature and a case company along with the Five-Level Model (5LM) to which we add complex adaptive system elements. Based on this a thematic analysis of the barriers and enablers is performed paper presents results of the 5LM and thematic analysis, finding that taking an SSD perspective shows interconnections across the multiple enablers and barriers to collaboration. The challenges encountered during 5LM along with the results implications for the Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) academic field and practitioners are discussed. We conclude that the variety and complexity of barriers and enablers for collaboration make it important to approach sustainability strategically across the supplier network. The SSD perspective supports collaboration for sustainability by providing an opportunity to examine it from a systems perspective and to formulate prescriptive considerations for the case company and guiding questions for SSCM practitioners.