Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:50:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 6417.pdf: 3427896 bytes, checksum: eb2bc6774c0f88b25959c63a85b754ac (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-10-30 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / Achieving resilience along the supply chain in today's turbulent business environment requires efforts from both internal and external elements of the company. Because Procurement is currently considered a boundary spanning function, it has become a primary facilitator in helping to create supply chain resilience. The purpose of this study is therefore to understand the role of Procurement in managing the intra- and inter-organisational issues needed to create supply chain resilience. To do so, a literature review was developed by following the systematic literature review method in which intra- and inter-organisational issues that could impact supply chain resilience were identified. These issues were grouped into eight general topics: knowledge acquired, inventory, product and technology for intraorganisational issues; and strategic sourcing, supply chain design, transportation and risk for inter-organisational issues. Dynamic capability (DC) view was also reviewed to offer a deeper analysis and fresh perspective on the empirical results. A multiple case study was conducted in four focal companies from different sectors, including two key suppliers from each one. After all interviews were transcribed, the data was added to the QDA Miner software in order to conduct a content analysis of within-cases and, subsequently, cross-case analysis. Following the theory elaboration defined by Ketokivi and Choi (2014), propositions were developed based on the empirical and theoretical findings through the rationale of the dynamic capability view. As a result, procurement structure and external inventory were found as additional organisational issues, and a new rationale is proposed to explain how Procurement can create supply chain resilience through dynamically managing and controlling the identified organisational issues. The primary theoretical contribution of this research is applying a new perspective to the issue of resilience. The development of these capabilities may help Procurement managers to better cope with current critical supply disruptions and hence help to achieve company survival and competitiveness. / A busca pela resiliência nas cadeias de suprimentos, hoje inseridas em ambientes cada vez mais dinâmicos, requer esforços tanto internos quanto externos às empresas. Como grande parte do risco de ruptura da cadeia de suprimentos se encontra à montante da empresa focal, Compras tem se tornado uma função crítica; principalmente por ser responsável pela solução de conflitos e problemas entre clientes internos e fornecedores. No entanto, pouco se sabe sobre como Compras gerencia esses recursos de forma a lidar com rupturas de suprimentos. O objetivo deste estudo é compreender o papel de Compras na gestão de fatores (internos e externos), de modo a criar resiliência da cadeia de suprimentos. Para tanto, uma revisão teórica foi desenvolvida por meio do método de revisão sistemática da literatura. Neste, fatores internos e externos que podem impactar a resiliência na cadeia de suprimentos foram identificados e agrupados em oito pontos gerais: conhecimento adquirido, estoque interno, produto e tecnologia para pontos internos; e estratégia de suprimentos, configuração da cadeia, transporte e risco para pontos externos. Uma revisão sobre a teoria das capacidades dinâmicas foi também realizada, com intuito de oferecer uma análise mais aprofundada dos resultados obtidos na pesquisa empírica. De forma a completar a compreensão destes pontos, um estudo multicaso foi realizado em quatro empresas de diferentes setores, além de incluir dois fornecedores de cada empresa. Após a transcrição de todas as entrevistas, estas foram inseridas no software QDA Miner para a realização da análise de conteúdo caso a caso e intercasos. Seguindo a orientação de Ketokivi e Choi (2014), foram desenvolvidas proposições a partir da revisão bibliográfica e da análise dos dados empíricos dentro do contexto da teoria de capacidades dinâmicas. Observou-se que a estrutura de Compras e a presença de estoque externo foram apontadas como fatores adicionais. É apresentada também uma nova lógica para explicar como Compras pode criar resiliência na cadeia de suprimentos por meio de uma gestão dinâmica dos pontos-chave identificados sob a lente teórica. Tal resultado é caracterizado como principal contribuição teórica deste estudo. Em termos gerenciais, o desenvolvimento destas capacidades podem ajudar gerentes de Compras a reagirem às rupturas críticas de suprimentos, garantindo a competitividade e a sobrevivência da empresa.

Background & aims: Prior research has, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting supply chain (SC) disruptions, increased the level of investigations in the field of SC resilience strategies. Even though many studies have been conducted within the field, little is known about the effectiveness and efficiency of those strategies. As food SC’s (FSC’s) are among the most important SC’s in our societies, their conservation is of great importance. As the operational purchasing process within the FSC was one of the areas within the SC that was strongly affected by the pandemic, this process will be the focus of the paper. This study seeks to identify the most applied SC resilience strategies for operational purchasing activities in FSC’s for various SC disruptions from a SME food retailers perspective. Furthermore, a framework of how to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of those strategies will be developed. Method: To collect relevant empirical data to answer the purpose of the study a qualitative multiple-interview study is conducted based on semi-structured interviews with respondents of the three different case companies. The case companies were selected and four interviews with one to two respondents per company were conducted. European SME food retailers of long shelf life goods are used as case companies to investigate the research gaps. Results: The study found out that the application of theory revealed the five most applied SC resilience strategies (SC flexibility, inventory management, end-to-end (E2E) SC visibility (SCV), information technology (IT) tools and SC cooperation) in operational purchasing, differences between SME food retailers according to their company size and maturity level. The KPIs identified to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of these SC resilience strategies were found to be applied. The KPIs provided are the basis for measurement opportunities that should be adapted and expanded depending on the business model and complexity of the company as part of the SC design. Contributions: The study adds value through theoretical and practical contributions of the most applied SC resilience strategies within operational purchasing from a SME food retailer perspective and their performance measurement system for measuring efficiency and effectiveness. Limitation & future research: The study is limited to the Covid-19 pandemic as a major reason for the triggering of the investigated SC disruptions. Further limitations can be seen within the selection of the case companies. Future research should investigate the differences between SME within their application of SC resilience strategies for their operational purchasing activities, just like the differences between strategic and operational purchasing. Key words: supply chain resilience strategy, supply chain disruption, Covid-19 pandemic, supply chain effectiveness, supply chain efficiency, performance measurements, key performance indicator, food supply chain, food retailers, purchasing process, operational purchasing

Supply chain resilience has become an important topic within supply chain management, as increasingly complex supply chains set out for increased risk in these networks. Supply chain resilience is a risk management approach that includes the ability to mitigate disruptions through specific capabilities. The previous disruptive events of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Suez Canal blockage-21 have highlighted the vulnerabilities of global trade and the need for more resilient supply chains. The purpose of this thesis was to analyse supply chain resilience and the need for dynamic and operational capabilities in the global maritime transport sector to mitigate impacts from slow-onset and sudden-onset disruptions. In specific, the vulnerabilities highlighted through the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Suez Canal blockage-21 over time. This study was conducted as a multiple case study investigating the maritime transport sector’s resilience during COVID-19 and the Suez Canal blockage-21. The data was triangulated through semi-structured interviews, industry podcasts, and business reports and further analysed using a grounded analysis approach. The study showed that the continuous disruptions on supply chains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Suez Canal blockage-21 generated economic consequences, congestions, and capacity constraints that the maritime transport sector could not fully mitigate. The study also provides evidence that severe impacts on supply chains were not necessarily caused by a lack of resilience, but rather the persistency of disruptions did not diminish over time. Even though the maritime transportation sector is considered flexible and agile in adapting to the new market situation, increased collaboration, integration, innovation, and digitalization were found necessary to improve the resilience of the maritime transport sector to become even better prepared for future disruptions.

In recent years, the frequency of disruptive events in supply chains has increased. This is partly due to the fact that supply chains are more globalized and more complex, with deeper tiering among suppliers. This makes the supply chain more vulnerable to risks. Supply chain risks that come with the dependencies of global suppliers have been evident due to unexpected global events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the obstruction in the Suez Canal, and the Russia-Ukraine war. To mitigate supply chain risks, a company needs to have a resilient supply chain. Volvo Construction Equipment, a world-leading manufacturer of premium construction equipment, has experienced some particularly challenging years due to global occurrences with material shortages, capacity constraints, and supply routes disruption. This has built up stress in the organization, both among processes and employees. To be able to plan for the coming years of high uncertainty, Volvo CE wants to investigate how they can anticipate and mitigate various risks and resist market fluctuations to create a more resilient supply chain. Therefore the purpose of the research was formulated as: The purpose of the research is to suggest how Volvo Construction Equipment AB can mitigate supply chain risks to secure the future supply chain in a volatile market. To facilitate the fulfillment of the research’s purpose, three research questions were developed concerning risk identification, assessing resilience capabilities, and assessing risk mitigation strategies. The first research question, RQ1, identified Volvo CE’s supply chain risks and the vulnerability of the risks. The supply chain risks were identified through focused group discussions with Volvo CE employees and the most vulnerable risks were determined through a survey with responses from the participants in the group discussions. Three risks were considered the most vulnerable in Volvo CE’s supply chain; lack of raw material and component shortage, lack of labor and competence in production at supplier, and shutdown of supplier factory due to unexpected events. The second research question, RQ2, answered which resilience capabilities Volvo CE possesses today and which should be improved. The resilience capabilities were assessed qualitatively through semi-structured interviews. The interview answers were then interpreted into what SCRES elements Volvo CE possess. It was concluded that all resilience capabilities can be improved but two out of five capabilities, ability to anticipate and ability to recover, were considered to have the most improvement potential as they contain a large proportion of SCRES elements that are not fully possessed today. Through semi-structured interviews and a cross-question analysis with RQ1 and RQ2, the third research question, RQ3, regarding the assessment of risk mitigation strategies could be answered. Based on the result of all research questions, five risk mitigation strategies were suggested for Volvo CE. These aimed to improve Volvo CE’s resilience capabilities with the most improvement potential to be able to mitigate the most vulnerable supply chain risks. The suggested risk mitigation strategies were supply chain understanding, SCRM culture, supplier relationship, backup supplier, and scenario planning. By working with these strategies, Volvo CE could significantly increase its resilience and thus create an organization better able to mitigate supply chain risks to secure the future supply in a volatile market.

Performance-based contracting (PBC) redefines the relationships between suppliers and buyers and differs from traditional contracting approaches with its reward/payment scheme, emphasis on the performance outcomes, increased supplier autonomy, and transfer of risk and responsibilities to suppliers. Given the 70% of life cycle costs of products/systems reside in sustainment, PBC has led to substantial improvements in availability, maintainability, reliability, and thus total cost of ownership of systems/products. Though PBC has changed the way of doing business and its presence has increased across multiple industry, private and public sectors, for profit and not-for-profit, its implications on various aspects of logistics and supply chain management have been understudied. It is important to explore and establish evidence regarding these implications through academic rigor. Therefore, this three-essay dissertation aims to give some insight regarding structural and behavioral implications of PBC using a multi-method approach. Specifically, it (1) explores the relationship between PBC and supply chain resilience (SCRES), (2) examines the supplier goal commitment (i.e., motivation) in PBC, (3) proposes a mathematical model to find optimal contract length, periodic contract price and investment that concurrently maximizing supplier profit and satisfying buyer requirements. This dissertation offers theoretical and managerial contributions as well.

In an ever-more complex and unstable global environment, the threats of supply chain disruptions are increasing. Furthermore high-growth firms, which are main contributors to the global economy, have no specific guidance as it pertains to this issue, while academics perceive a gap in knowledge with respect to these types of firms. Scholars have previously highlighted the importance of supply chain resilience for firms to withstand disruptions but have thus far only assumed the perspectives of industries or incumbent firms. Thus, the purpose of this thesis was to explore the role of organizational characteristics of a high-growth firm and how these affect supply chain resilience and its antecedents. Empirical findings propose that a high-growth firm can achieve sufficient resilience without high risk management orientation. Hence, the characteristics of a high-growth firm may inherently increase resilience. Further, it is proposed that the antecedents relating to supply chain resilience do not carry equal importance throughout an organization’s lifecycle. Hence, high-growth organizations need to apply resilience targets and actions that are in line with the overall growth roadmap of the firm, while considering the dynamic nature of their own growth. / I en alltmer komplex och instabil global miljö ökar hoten om störningar i försörjningskedjan. Dessutom har högväxtföretag, som är bland de viktigaste bidragande faktorerna till den globala ekonomin, ingen specifik vägledning vad gäller denna fråga, medan akademiker upplever en kunskapslucka med avseende på dessa typer av företag. Forskare har tidigare betonat vikten av motståndskraft i försörjningskedjan för att företagen ska kunna motstå störningar och katastrofer, men har hittills bara antagit perspektiven hos industrier eller etablerade företag. Syftet med denna avhandling var således att utforska rollen som organisatoriska egenskaper i ett företag med hög tillväxt spelar och hur dessa påverkar leveranskedjans motståndskraft och dess konceptuella komponenter. Empiriska resultat föreslår att ett företag med hög tillväxt kan uppnå tillräcklig motståndskraft utan etablerad riskhantering. Därför kan egenskaperna hos ett företag med hög tillväxt i sig öka motståndskraften. Vidare föreslås att de konceptuella komponenterna som avgör leveranskedjans motståndskraft inte har lika betydelse under hela organisationens livscykel. Därför måste organisationer med hög tillväxt tillämpa motståndsmål och åtgärder som är i linje med företagets övergripande tillväxtplan, samtidigt som de tar hänsyn till den dynamiska karaktären av deras egen tillväxt.

Em um cenário de aumento de competitividade, crescente expectativa por inovações do produto e necessidade de atender diferentes perfis de consumidores, o conceito de gerenciamento de cadeias de suprimentos globais (GSCM) surge como uma estratégia para coordenar mais eficazmente as atividades dispersas geograficamente dos sistemas produtivos. Na adoção do GSCM, as organizações devem lidar com rupturas que impactam no gerenciamento das suas atividades, tais como a interrupção de vias de transporte, pane no fornecimento de energia, desastres naturais e até ataques terroristas. Nesse contexto, o trabalho introduz um procedimento sistematizado para modelagem das cadeias de suprimentos visto como um sistema a eventos discretos e sua análise por simulação das atividades do GSCM baseada em técnicas formais como a rede de Petri (PN) e o Production Flow Schema (PFS). Um exemplo é também apresentado para ilustrar e comprovar as vantagens do método proposto na análise do GSCM. / In a context of increasing competition, rising of expectations for product innovations and need to satisfy different consumer needs, the concept of global supply chain management (GSCM) emerges as a strategy to more efficiently coordinate the geographically dispersed activities of production systems. Adopting GSCM, organizations have to deal with external disruptions that impact management activities, such as transport interruption, power supply failure, natural disasters and terrorist attacks. In this way, a systematized procedure for modeling supply chains as a discrete event system and simulation analysis of GSCM activities based on formal techniques, such as Petri net (PN) and Production Flow Schema (PFS) is introduced. An example is also presented to illustrate and confirm the advantages of the proposed method for GSCM analysis.

Em um cenário de aumento de competitividade, crescente expectativa por inovações do produto e necessidade de atender diferentes perfis de consumidores, o conceito de gerenciamento de cadeias de suprimentos globais (GSCM) surge como uma estratégia para coordenar mais eficazmente as atividades dispersas geograficamente dos sistemas produtivos. Na adoção do GSCM, as organizações devem lidar com rupturas que impactam no gerenciamento das suas atividades, tais como a interrupção de vias de transporte, pane no fornecimento de energia, desastres naturais e até ataques terroristas. Nesse contexto, o trabalho introduz um procedimento sistematizado para modelagem das cadeias de suprimentos visto como um sistema a eventos discretos e sua análise por simulação das atividades do GSCM baseada em técnicas formais como a rede de Petri (PN) e o Production Flow Schema (PFS). Um exemplo é também apresentado para ilustrar e comprovar as vantagens do método proposto na análise do GSCM. / In a context of increasing competition, rising of expectations for product innovations and need to satisfy different consumer needs, the concept of global supply chain management (GSCM) emerges as a strategy to more efficiently coordinate the geographically dispersed activities of production systems. Adopting GSCM, organizations have to deal with external disruptions that impact management activities, such as transport interruption, power supply failure, natural disasters and terrorist attacks. In this way, a systematized procedure for modeling supply chains as a discrete event system and simulation analysis of GSCM activities based on formal techniques, such as Petri net (PN) and Production Flow Schema (PFS) is introduced. An example is also presented to illustrate and confirm the advantages of the proposed method for GSCM analysis.

The interconnectedness of global supply chains, combined with disruptive events like the Covid-19 pandemic, has emphasized the significance of enhancing supply chain resilience (SCRes). Thus, this study aims to investigate how businesses employ SCRes recovery strategies to address extreme supply chain disruptions (SCD). To contribute empirical evidence on reactive SCRes strategies, qualitative methodology was employed, with a specific emphasis on the construction department at Northvolt. The construction industry serves as an apt context for assessing and offers valuable insights. Unstructured and semi-structured interviews were conducted with supply chain executives within the company to collect the data. The findings reveal specific challenges faced by the construction department at Northvolt in the face of global supply chain disruptions, shedding light on their responsive strategies. This study not only emphasizes the necessity of cultivating all SCRes capabilities but also contributes valuable empirical evidence to the field. The implications of these findings extend beyond Northvolt, providing actionable insights for businesses in the construction industry and offering recommendations for enhancing overall supply chain resilience. / Den ökande globala kopplingen mellan leverantörskedjor, tillsammans med störande händelser som Covid-19-pandemin, har understrukit betydelsen av att förbättra leverantörskedjors motståndskraft (SCRes). Denna studie syftar därför till att undersöka hur företag använder sig av SCRes-återhämtningsstrategier för att hantera extrema störningar i leverantörskedjan (SCD). För att bidra med empiriska bevis om reaktiva SCRes-strategier användes kvalitativ metodik, med särskild tonvikt på byggavdelningen på Northvolt. Byggbranschen fungerar som en lämplig kontext för bedömning och erbjuder värdefulla insikter. Ostrukturerade och halvstrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med företagets leverantörskedjechefer för att samla in data. Resultaten avslöjar specifika utmaningar som byggavdelningen på Northvolt står inför i ljuset av globala störningar i leverantörskedjan och belyser deras responsstrategier. Denna studie betonar inte bara nödvändigheten av att odla alla SCRes-förmågor utan bidrar också med värdefulla empiriska bevis till området. Resultatens implikationer sträcker sig bortom Northvolt och ger handlingsbara insikter för företag inom byggbranschen, samt erbjuder rekommendationer för att förbättra övergripande motståndskraft i leverantörskedjan.