The changing role of manufacturing has ushered in an increasing number of initiatives aimed at improving operations. Specifically, various themes in operations have evolved over time, from forecasting and planning in the 1950s and 1960s through productivity and quality in the 1970s and 1980s respectively, to adaptability and responsiveness in the 1990s. Even though the emergence of agile paradigm had spurred a large stream of research by scholars, yet most of the research had been at the manufacturing level. Very few researches have gone beyond the manufacturing level to the larger supply chain level. And there are even fewer researches discussing about the combination of lean thinking and agile thinking in supply chain level. Based on the above statement, the purpose of this study is as follows: 1. To identify the definition and characteristics of ¡§Lean¡¨ and ¡§Agile¡¨. 2. To explore the relationship of the two kinds of thinking. 3. To prove the practicability of the findings. This research is organized as follows. Chapter 2 clearly describes the origin, definition and characteristics of lean thinking and agile thinking, and comparison of the two kind of thinking. Chapter 3 introduces the major combination factors of these- material decoupling point, information decoupling point, and postponement. Followed by introduction of three practical ways to combine the lean thinking and agile thinking.

No / In the construction industry, subcontractors are subject to tremendous pressures in terms of quality, service and cost. Subcontractors have responded to these challenges in a number of ways, foremost amongst these has been by working more closely with their suppliers. Originality/value: Although many issues that should be considered in the partnership development process have been identified in the extant literature, the researchers have found that they have not been fully transferred to subcontractors in the construction industry. Purpose: This paper explores the implementation of the partnership development process and evaluates the utility of a methodology/guide that can be used by practitioners and consultants in the construction industry to facilitate the development of effective partnerships. The researchers have been involved in the partnership development process with two subcontractors in the construction industry. Findings/practical implications: The effectiveness of using the proposed methodology/guide to improve the partnership development process and thence to gain competitiveness is demonstrated.

ABSTRACT Due to the change of consumption patterns, the shorter product life cycle coupled with the global competitions, how to provide customers quickly the best quality of products and to maintain a certain profit in changing markets , become the best weapon when competitions. So companies have to put in efforts in supply chain management, from raw material supply to product sales, distribution, various species of strategies set to achieve the best management of the results. The most widely discussed and use of supply chain strategies , that is lean and agile strategies . The purpose of this study is to discuss the impact on supply chain capability and business performance with the implementation of lean strategy and agile strategy , and using the questionnaires, to specify the statistics showing the correspondence of lean /supply chain strategy and business performance.

En försörjningskedja är en komplex process som majoriteten av företaget tampas med, både medvetet och omedvetet. Vid närmare granskning av en försörjningskedja kan denna process brytas ner i flertalet delar, vilket gör begreppet försörjningskedja oerhört stort att behandla i sin helhet. Denna studie avser att undersöka vilka faktorer som är av betydelse vid konstruktion av en ny försörjningskedja samt hur aktörer inom den påverkas. Studien initierades genom att ansamla generell ämneskunskap för att skapa en överskådlig bild av påverkande faktorer kring konstruktion och leverantörer. Vidare skapades en teoretisk referensram av litteraturinsamlingen vars syfte är att definiera begrepp, modeller och metoder samt skapa en övergripande förståelse kring hur denna kunskap kan appliceras och användas. Genomförandet av en fallstudie blev en naturlig fortsättning i studien för att skapa en verklighetsanknuten situation varav begrepp, modeller och metoder kunde appliceras. Den empiriska data som presenteras har samlats in genom både observationer och semi-strukturerade intervjuer med fallföretaget och dess nuvarande samt potentiella leverantörer. Intervjuernas syfte var att alla parter skulle ges möjlighet att belysa sin synvinkel, samtidigt som observationerna var tillför studiens författare att få en kännedom om produktspektra, prototyper och verksamheten som fallstudien återspeglade. När den empiriska data hade ansamlats, analyserades detta material utifrån den teoretiska referensramen där syfte och frågeställningarna kunde besvaras. Resultatet som presenterats identifierar kritiska faktorer i innovationsstadiet som supply chain strategy (SCS) och leverantörvalsprocessens inverkan. Studiens huvudsakliga slutsats identiferar att samspelet mellan SCS, leverantörvalsprocessen och supplier relationship management (SRM) är av yttersta vikt vid en organisations arbete med försörjningskedjor. / A supply chain is a complex process that the majority of companies combat with, both consciously and unconsciously. When observing a supply chain, it becomes evident that this process can be broken down into multiple parts, which makes the concept comprehensive to handle as a whole.  This study aims to investigate which factors are important in the development of a new supply chain and how the stakeholders within are impacted. The study was initiated by accumulating general subject knowledge in order to establish a comprehensive overview of the factors that influence the development of a supply chain and its suppliers. A theoretical framework was created through literature collection, with the purpose of defining concepts, models and methods, but also to establish a holistic understanding of how this knowledge can be put into practise. The implementation of a case study became a natural continuation of the study to create a factual situation from which concepts, models and methods could be applied. The empirical data presented was collected through both observations and semi-structured interviews alongside the case company and its current and potential suppliers. The main purpose of the interviews was to allow all parties to enlighten their point of view, while the observations was up to the study's authors to gain an understanding of the product catalogue, prototypes and activities that the case study reflected. Once the empirical data had been collected, the findings was analysed based on the theoretical framework where the purpose and questions could be answered. The result presented identifies critical factors in the innovation phase such as supply chain strategy (SCS) and the impact of the supplier selection process. The study concludes that the interplay between SCS, the supplier selection process and supplier relationship management (SRM) are of paramount importance in an organisation’s work with supply chains.

Background: The Supply Chain department at the division Sandvik Machining Solutions within Sandvik AB have found a need of introducing a process for managing innovation within the organization in order to gain competitive advantages and to stay on the leading edge in their field. Research Questions: 1. How can a generic model for managing innovation within the supply chain look like? 2. How can an innovation process be configured and managed in order to create and manage new ideas in the supply chain? Methodology: An exploratory case study approach to answer the research questions has been conducted in order to develop a model for innovation management within a supply chain of large manufacturing firm. The data collection methods have been interviews and from internal documentation. The interviews have been conducted with managers at Sandvik Machining Solutions within the SCM department, R&D department (innovation manager) and sales departments. The amount of correspondents has been no more than the amount 10 because of the empirical evidence it will result in otherwise and the time limit of this research. The fact that this is a case study, based on a single company, our findings will not be completely generalizable to other populations, but it can be generalizable to some extent if applied to similar companies and situations. To increase the validity of this research, the model could have been tested and evaluated. Findings and Results: The results showed that there is a need of becoming more innovative within the supply chain. Moreover, to get inputs through-out the organization we have also received significant information regarding e.g. the supply chain strategies, innovation and customer needs. These inputs have been analyzed in order to develop an innovation management process that will fit a supply chain department. The model also provides a structured approach to create and manage new ideas in within the Supply Chain.

In what ways do companies within an industry converge? We address this by combining theory on competitive strategy and supply chain strategy to understand how companies can be differentiated in these dimensions. As competitive strategies are affected by internal and external factors, these affect strategy design and resource management of a company in order to remain competitive. Convergence occurs when an industry matures, and several regulatory or non-regulatory norms arise that firms move toward and, in the process, become more similar. Through developing a framework that addresses intra-industry convergence and taking the case of the European airline industry, we aim to demonstrate the application of using competitive strategy and supply chain strategy analyses to analyze and evaluate intra-industry convergence through a standardized model.

<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>

The relationships between supply chain management and its corresponding¡@variables are the focus in this research. Furthermore, this study tries to explore the¡@interaction between supply chain management and those corresponding variables on¡@both the effectiveness of supply chain and whole organization. The main variables¡@employed at this study include, supply chain strategy, supply chain ability, competitive strategy, and product diversification. Through mail to collect data, the companies with related diversification are the goals to deliver questionnaires. The results that the more a company emphasizes competitive strategies than his competitors, the better his operating performance is. However, supply chain strategy, supply chain ability, and the degree of product diversification do not have significant effect on a company¡¦s operating performance.

<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>

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to analyze the CDP-method in order to develop and refine the method. The method is developed and presented in Bäckstrand (2012), with the aim to strengthen the competitiveness of manufacturing companies. Someone outside of the development context has never, until now and to the researchers knowledge, refined the method. Methodology: A multiple case study with four companies where used. The empirical data collected within the study where used to evaluate the CDP-method and to refine the method. The presented improvement is based on the empirical data and conceptual models developed from theory. Findings: Three improvements were developed. The first of them changed step 8 of the method, the second can´t be tied to a single step and is therefore an overall suggestion, whereas the third provides a new type of analysis within step 6 of the method. Research limitations: The research was conducted at companies where the CDP-method was already implemented. An implementation at a new company could possibly reveal another type of empirical data, which could be interpreted in a different way. The researchers have also detected areas that couldn’t be investigated within this research, these are identified and left for further research. Theoretical implications: Results from this thesis connect the classification of supply risk by Kraljic (1983) with supply chain strategy by Fisher (1997) to enable a new type of analysis. Furthermore, theory within the standardization and over-specification (e.g. Burt, Petcavage &amp; Pinkerton, 2010; Geldeman &amp; van Weele, 2002) is introduced and incorporated in the CDP-method. A third implication is a reinforced focus on strategy in combination with the CDP-method, which is based on theory regarding strategic alignment (e.g. Gattorna &amp; Walter, 1996; Hines, 2004). Managerial implications: The new analysis should, together with the CDP-method as a whole, strengthen adopting companies supply chain and improve internal and external communication. Originality/value: This thesis provides a new set of analysis in the CDP-method that could benefit practitioners.