This thesis looks at the challenges of establishing environmentally sustainable supply chains in Swedish Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through the lens of buyer-supplier relationships. Despite SMEs' important role in innovation and employment, there is little research on sustainability in this sector, particularly on buyer-supplier dynamics. Existing literature emphasizes the potential benefits of strong buyer-supplier relationships but does not investigate into their role in SME sustainability efforts. This study aims to fill this gap and provide insights into the barriers to sustainable supply chain development in Swedish SMEs. It aims to educate policymakers and practitioners about the importance of fostering long-term partnerships within SME supply chains. The purpose of this study is to explore how buyer-supplier relationships influence sustainable practices in the supply chains of Swedish SMEs. Utilizing qualitative research methods, the research involved interviews with multiple SMEs to gather insights into the dynamics of these relationships and their effect on sustainability efforts. The study examines the role of trust, communication, and mutual sustainability goals in strengthening these relationships. The findings indicate that robust, trust-based buyer-supplier relationships are essential for fostering sustainable supply chain practices. Such relationships enable better collaboration, which is crucial for SMEs aiming to overcome limitations related to their size and bargaining power. The study also shows that a variety of factors influence SMEs' efforts to become more environmentally sustainable. Examples include industry, customer and supplier size, and new regulations. This thesis contributes to the literature by describing specific challenges and effective practices relevant to Swedish SMEs and suggests that enhancing the quality of buyer-supplier interactions can significantly impact their sustainability outcomes. Practical recommendations are offered for SMEs to optimize their supply chain sustainability, highlighting the importance of strategic partnerships in achieving environmental goals.

La recherche souligne, selon une perspective béhavioriste, l’importance grandissante de l’intermédiation logistique à travers le rôle dynamisant du PSL au sein des chaînes logistiques multi-acteurs. En s’éloignant de son métier historique, en l’occurrence la gestion de simples acheminements, le PSL évolue vers des services à plus forte valeur ajoutée, voire de nouveaux métiers, qui transforment en profondeur le fonctionnement de ces chaînes. S’inscrivant dans une logique d’exploration, la recherche participe à enrichir les travaux antérieurs relatifs au PSL, souvent de nature technique, par une approche béhavioriste. Le PSL est d’abord un acteur, doté d’objectifs propres, qui développe un comportement stratégique singulier ; il ne se résume pas à être un simple exécutant opérationnel d’activités issues d’une externalisation voulue par des chargeurs à la recherche d’une minimisation des coûts. Une telle approche, jusque-là peu explorée, permet de mieux saisir le rôle dynamisant du PSL dans les chaînes logistiques multi-acteurs, tout particulièrement dans le contexte français. Il ressort de la recherche que le PSL a acquis un pouvoir suffisant pour en influencer le fonctionnement. Il occupe une position de choix pour capter durablement de la valeur, autrement dit, bénéficier de transfert d’activités, de compétences et de ressources de la part des chargeurs. / The goal of our research is to underline, from a behavioral angle, the increasing importance of logistical intermediation through the LSP’s dynamic role within supply chains. By digressing from its historical profession, the management of simple carriages to be specific, the LSP is moving towards high added value services, even new trades, which deeply transform the chains’ functioning. By falling within an exploratory logic, this research participates in enriching the previous works about LSP, mainly of a technical nature, through a behavioral approach. At first, the LSP is an actor which has his own goals and who develops a singular strategic behavior: it does not amount to be a simple operational performer of activities coming from an outsourcing required by shippers in search of a minimization of the costs. Such an approach, which has not been explored so far, enables a better understanding of the dynamic role of the LSP in supply chains, particularly in the French context. It comes out of the research that the LSP has acquired enough power to influence its functioning. It is rightly placed to get some value durably, in other words, to benefit from transfer of activities, skills and resources from the shippers.

電線電纜產業之個案研究 / The importance of supply chain management continues to grow as managers increasingly understand how effective supply chains enhance the ability to compete effectively in the market place. This paper presents a case study of a wire & cable manufacturing firm in China that undertakes its journey of supply chain management (SCM) transformation through Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) project implementation. The aim was to provide a real-life case example of a supply chain improvement process as presented from a practitioner’s perspective. A supply chain division was just newly established in the case study company and its supply chain journey was still in its infancy, and that made the company’s transformation process become very challenging. Unlike a traditional case study report focusing on a single project implementation only, this paper describes the whole improvement cycle starting with underlying supply chain issues identification and prioritization throughout the processes of project selection and implementation. This study exemplifies how a company finalized and realized its supply chain strategic direction through a systematic approach. Supply-Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model was used in the beginning to conduct a high-level assessment on supply chain opportunities and various brainstorming tools were applied in order to identify the issue with the greatest impact to the organization. Sales and Operations Planning or S&OP is another key element, and a thorough literature review supplemented with practical application is demonstrated in this paper. Little information technology application is presented. Instead, this case focuses more on change management and business process engineering.

Purpose: This research aims to enhance the current understanding and knowledge of the demand-supply chain management (DSCM) concept by determining its elements, benefits, and requirements, as well as by analyzing key elements of the concept. Methodology: This research has utilized the case study strategy and the survey strategy, however, the case study strategy dominates. The case study research has involved five companies originating from Sweden and the collection of empirical data mainly from in-depth interviews with key persons representing senior and middle management. The survey research targeted the largest firms in Sweden and Finland and empirical data was collected through an online questionnaire. Findings: This research has established that the main elements of DSCM include market orientation, coordination of the demand and supply processes, viewing the demand and supply processes as being equally important, as well as value creation, differentiation, innovativeness, responsiveness, and cost-efficiency in the demand and supply processes. It has also been revealed that the main benefits of DSCM include enhanced competiveness, enhanced demand chain performance, as well as enhanced supply chain performance, while the main requirements of DSCM include organizational competences, company established principles, demand-supply chain collaboration, and information technology support. A key element of DSCM further investigated is differentiation focused supply chain design. It has been shown that these efforts can be organized into a process of five stages. In addition, it is important that this process is addressed in parallel with the new product development (NPD) process, that information is exchanged between them, and that they are directed on the basis of the same segmentation model. Another key element of DSCM further investigated is coordination between NPD and SCM. This research has identified several significant linkages between these management directions, which motivate the use of an integrative NPD process where the NPD functions are aligned with the main supply functions in the company and other sales-related functions supporting the commercialization. A final key element of DSCM further investigated is the significance of regarding the demand processes and the supply processes as being equally important. This research has revealed that logistics outsourcing can be risky, if it results in the supply processes being considered less important. Nevertheless, if senior management regards the outsourced processes as equally important as the in-house processes, the effect of logistics outsourcing on company strategies and direction in SCM could be reduced and logistics outsourcing could instead provide an opportunity to improve the design and differentiation of the supply chain. Research limitations/implications: This research has proposed, described, and further analyzed a demand-supply oriented management approach. Such a management approach stresses that the demand processes and the supply processes have to be coordinated and directed at an overlying level, in order to gain and sustain a competitive advantage in competitive and fragmented markets. This research is mainly explorative in nature, and more empirical data, from similar and other research settings, is needed to further validate the findings. Another limitation of the research is that it is essentially limited to Swedish companies (even if some Finnish companies are involved in the survey), however, many of the case companies have a large international presence and are among the top three in their industries, facts which provide some grounds for generalization. Practical implications: This research provides researchers and practitioners with insights into how to develop a demand-supply oriented business. It shows that companies should organize themselves around understanding how customer value is created and delivered, as well as how these processes and management directions can be coordinated. In order for this to occur, the demand and supply processes must be considered as being equally important and the firm needs to be managed jointly and in a coordinated manner by the demand- and supply-side of the company. It is also important that value creation is considered in both the demand and supply processes. Originality/value: Despite strong arguments from both researchers and practitioners for a demand-supply oriented management approach only a minority of companies appear to have effectively coordinated the demand and supply processes. This might be influenced by the lack of research examining how the demand and supply processes can be coordinated, what benefits can be gained by coordinating them, and what requirements are necessary to succeed. This research contributes by investigating these types of aspects further.

[pt] O objetivo desta dissertação é realizar uma análise baseada no conceito de gestão estratégica de custo aplicado à cadeia de suprimentos de uma empresa jornalística brasileira. A discussão parte da necessidade dos jornais brasileiros, que estão passando por evoluções importantes, tornarem- se mais competitivos para atender anunciantes e leitores cada vez mais exigentes e enfrentar os desafios crescentes da concorrência entre mídias. Desse modo, é fundamental introduzir novos conceitos de gestão, com foco na redução de custos operacionais de transformação e de movimentação em toda a cadeia, com simultânea melhoria da qualidade do jornal percebida pelo leitor, por meio da gestão dos processos e uso de técnicas que permitem a integração de todos os elos da cadeia desde o acesso aos insumos físicos ou digitais, até o serviço ao cliente leitor ou anunciante. A análise baseia-se na estrutura do conceito de gestão estratégica de custos que é apoiada em três pilares: análise da cadeia de valor, posicionamento estratégico e direcionadores de custo em cada ponto em que se agrega valor ao produto, para possibilitar o uso dessas informações nas tomadas de decisões gerenciais. Esta pesquisa aborda a importância do gerenciamento da cadeia de suprimentos, enfatizando o gerenciamento dos custos logísticos e conceito de cadeia de valor, considerando os elementos de custo e descrevendo as principais operações da aquisição, movimentação, armazenamento de toda matéria- prima, produção e distribuição física dos jornais para os leitores. O trabalho considera o atual cenário e os desafios estratégicos enfrentados pelas empresas jornalísticas no mercado brasileiro, constatando a necessidade das empresas implementarem ações para melhorar os fatores de rentabilidade do negócio, agregando valor para o acionista, para o anunciante e para o leitor. / [en] The objective of this dissertation is to produce an analysis of the supply chain of the Brazilian press industry based on the concept of strategic cost management. The discussion stems from the necessity of the Brazilian newspaper industry, that is nowadays facing important evolution, to become more competitive and to satisfy advertisers and readers continuously more demanding and to face the increasing challenges derived from the competition between medias. In this way, it is fundamental to introduce new concepts of management, with focus on the reduction of operational costs of transformation and transport all over the chain, with simultaneous improvement of the quality of the newspaper as perceived by the clients, either readers or advertisers. In the newspaper segment the supply chain includes the process management and the use of techniques that allow integration between all links of the chain, since the access to the primary materials either physical or digital, until the service to the readers or advertisers. The analysis is based on the structure of the concept of strategical cost management that is supported on three pillars: analysis of the value chain, strategical positioning and cost drivers analysis ateach point that adds value to the product. The research approaches the importance of the supply chain management, emphasizing the management of the logistics costs and the value chain concept, considering the cost elements and describing the main operations of purchasing, transporting, and storage of all raw material, production and physical distribution of the newspaper to the readers. The work considers the present scenario and strategical challenges faced by press companies in the Brazilian market, evidencing the necessity of the companies to implement actions to improve the yield factors of the business, adding value to the shareholders, advertisers and readers.

: Outsourcing har blivit en mycket vanlig företeelse i det moderna samhället och textilbranschen anses vara den geografiskt mest spridda industrin i världen med produktion oftast belägen i Asien. Outsourcing till trots finns det fortfarande vissa moment i värdekedjan som i stor utsträckning utförs i butik i Sverige trots att i stort sett alla andra tillverkande och sammansättande moment utförs i fabrik i låglöneländer. Ett av dessa moment är larmning av varor. Syftet med studien är att undersöka och beskriva hur larmning av konfektionsplagg går till i svenska A-läge butiker samt analysera om förflyttningen av momentet bakåt i värdekedjan skulle kunna påverka detaljhandelns tidsbudgetering och lönsamhet. Frågeställningarna för studien är: På vilket sätt påverkar larmningsmomentets placering i värdekedjan butikens tidsbudgetering? Samt: Hur påverkas butikers lönsamhet av att larmningsmomentet förflyttas bakåt i värdekedjan? Den empiriska studien är indelad i tre delar; kvantitativa observationer i form av tidsstudier utförd hos tre butiker; kvalitativa intervjuer med sex tillfrågade butikschefer; samt kvalitativa intervjuer med huvudkontor från valda modeföretag. Tidsstudien har visat att larmningsmomentet av ett plagg i genomsnitt tar 7,7 sekunder. I ett presenterat exempel där en butik tar emot 4 000 plagg i veckan blir det totalt 8,6 timmar som i en butik lägger på larmningsmomentet per vecka. Studien har visat att om larmningsmomentet skulle outsourcas från butik till fabrik skulle tidsbudgeteringen i butik kunna omfördelas så att mer tid läggs på varumärkesbyggande åtgärder som integrerad informationsflöde från detaljist till huvudkontor, kundservice, försäljning samt vård av butik och lager. De insparade timmarna skulle också kunna tas bort från budgeten om butiken önskade, vilket inneburit en direkt kostnadsbesparing. I analysen presenteras ett exempel baserat på tidsstudien där de 8,6 timmar som läggs på larmningsmomentet multipliceras med en uppskattad personalkostnad per timma. Kvantifierat till ett år och med 100 butiker i fokus blev besparingen så stor som 8 452 100 kr för en butikskedja, förutsatt att inga oanade kostnader skapades. Studien har därmed kunnat visa att förflyttningen av larmningsmomentet bakåt i värdekedjan kan minska butikers kostnader och därmed påverka företagets Vinstmarginal (VM) och i förlängningen skulle det kunna generera högre Räntabilitet på Totalt Kapital (RTOT), även om det är med en hundradels eller tusendels procentenhet. / Program: Textilekonomutbildningen

No description available.

[pt] A gestão da cadeia de suprimentos (Supply Chain Management - SCM) é um novo conceito de gerenciamento dos processos de negócios empresariais que extrapola os limites das companhias para incluir também seus principais clientes e fornecedores. Com esse conceito a integração e a troca da informação entre as empresas tornam-se cada vez mais importante para performace destas empresas e de suas cadeias de suprimentos. A consolidação da SCM em diferentes industrias tem-se desenvolvido com o auxílio de Sistemas de Informação (SI). Nesse contexto, a presente dissertação tem como objetivo mapear e analisar os principais processos de negócio da Castrol do Brasil (subsidiária de uma multinacional inglesa do segmento de petróleo, a British Petrolium) sob a perspectiva de seus Sistemas de Informação (SI) - tanto os sistemas limitados às fronteiras desta empresa, como também os sistemas responsáveis pela interface desta empresa com alguns dos membros mais importantes de sua cadeia de suprimento, focando, porém, na parte produtiva e nas operações logísticas (outbound). A partir deste estudo elabora-se uma crítica à SCM da Castrol do Brasil sob a perspectiva dos SI. / [en] The Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a new concept of enterprise business processes management that surpasses the limits of the companies to also include its main clients and suppliers. With this concept the integration and information exchange among companies has become more and more important for these companies performance and their supply chains systems. The SCM consolidation in different industries has been developed with the Information Systems (IS) assistance. In this context, the current dissertation aims to map and analyse the main businesses processes of Castrol do Brasil Ltda (which is a British multinational subsidiary of Petroleum segment - BP) under the perspective of its Information Systems (IS). The dissertation will consider either those systems limited to this company boundaries, as well as the systems responsible for this company`s interface with some of its most important supply chain members, focusing, however, on productive part and logistic operations (outbound). From this study, a critic can be elaborated to Castrol do Brasil Ltda SCM, under IS perspective.

[pt] As companhias farmacêuticas necessitam dirigir atenção à demanda crescente em trazer medicamentos ao mercado em uma forma econômica. A pressão sobre o preço está aumentando, e as vantagens de ter um período de exclusividade da utilização de suas patentes estão diminuindo, enquanto a produção de produtos genéricos está crescendo em todo mundo. Ter um portifólio de novas drogas é crítico, mas também é crítico ter habilidade de trazer essas drogas ao mercado em uma maneira eficiente e de baixo custo. Entretanto, as companhias farmacêuticas não podem mais contar unicamente em pesquisa e desenvolvimento e marketing para sobreviver, mas devem também confiar nos valores agregados pela gestão da cadeia de suprimentos (Supply Chain Management - SCM). Neste contexto, o presente trabalho tem o intuito de analisar o modelo de SCM global utilizado por uma grande empresa de medicamentos (Glaxosmithkline-GSK), através da apresentação das principais características de sua cadeia de suprimentos, da análise do planejamento e gerenciamento do suprimento e da demanda e da análise de práticas de SCM implementadas por esta empresa na Europa. / [en] Pharmaceutical companies need to address the growing demand for bringing medicines to market in an economical way. Price pressure is increasing, and the advantages of having a buffered patent window is decreasing as generic manufacturing is on the rise. Having a pipeline of new drugs is critical, but it is also critical the ability to bring them to market in a cost effective and efficient manner. However, pharmaceutical companies can no longer solely rely on research and development and marketing to survive, but must also rely on supply chain management to deliver value. Within this context, this dissertation intends to analyze the supply chain management model of a major pharmaceutical company (GlaxoSmithkline - GSK) throughout an overview of the key characteristics of its supply chain, supply and demand management and some examples of projects implemented in Europe.

[pt] Contratos de fornecimento coordenadores são fundamentais para resgatar a eficiência de sistemas de produção prejudicada pela progressiva redução da integração vertical. A maior parte da literatura sobre esse assunto trata da análise contratos entre manufatura e varejista, ou que maximizam o lucro de uma das partes. Entretanto, na prática, contratos entre duas manufaturas são mais freqüentes e de análise mais difícil, pois ambas têm suas vendas limitadas pelas capacidades que decidiram no médio- prazo. Esta pesquisa analisa um contrato de reserva de capacidade, envolvendo incentivo e penalidade, concebido para coordenar as decisões de médio-prazo de duas manufaturas autônomas sobre suas capacidades para um único período de planejamento e diante de demandas estocásticas. Sob esse contrato, a fornecedora promete vender para o comprador, a um preço com desconto, tudo o que ele vier a pedir até uma certa quantidade previamente estabelecida. Caso o comprador peça mais do que essa quantidade, pagará o excedente a preço de mercado; se pedir menos do que essa quantidade, ele pagará uma penalidade previamente estabelecida por cada unidade que deixar de pedir. A fornecedora reserva a capacidade necessária para produzir a quantidade estabelecida, até que o comprador faça seu pedido e, depois, usa a sobra de capacidade para vender no mercado. Modelos de otimização estocástica são utilizados para avaliar o aumento que o contrato pode propiciar no lucro de cada parte e, também, quão próximo de um máximo ideal ele pode levar o lucro conjunto da díade. Análises numéricas realizadas em diferentes situações indicam que o contrato pode promover coordenação total e permite diferentes distribuições do ganho. / [en] Coordinating-supply-contracts are key to restoring the production-systems eficiency lost with the progressive reduction of vertical integration. The bulk of the literature on this subject focuses on the analysis of a contract between a retailer and a manufacturer, or on contracts that maximize the profit of one of the parties. However, contracts between two manufacturers are more frequent in practice, and harder to analyze because both parties have their actual sales constrained by their medium-term capacity decisions. This research analyzes a capacity-reservation contract with reward-and-penalty designed to coordinate the single-period medium-term capacity decisions of two autonomous manufacturers facing stochastic market demands. Under this contract, the supplier will sell to the buyer, at a discount price, whatever he orders up to a certain previously agreed quantity. If the buyer's order is in excess of this quantity, he will purchase this excess at market price; if it is short, he will pay an agreed per-unit penalty for what he fails to order up to this quantity. The supplier reserves the capacity for producing the agreed quantity until the buyer announces his order, and then uses the remaining capacity for selling to the market. Stochastic optimization models are used to evaluate the improvement the contract can bring to each party's profit, and also how close it can take the dyad's joint profit to an ideal maximum. Numerical analyses carried out in different settings indicate that the contract can achieve full coordination and allows different distributions of the gain between the parties.