A major challenge for supply chain managers is how to manage sourcing relationships to ensure reliable and predictable actions of existing suppliers. The extant research into sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) has suggested the transactional (e.g. monitoring and auditing) and collaboration (e.g. supplier development) as the main two approaches by which buyers can sustain an acceptable level of suppliers' internal social performance. A successful implementation of such approaches, and hence improving suppliers' social performance, often requires a level of cooperation that can be difficult to establish, particularly on the part of suppliers. Despite the recent proliferation of SSCM research, little efforts have been devoted to exploring the factors that increase the effectiveness of the two approaches. This research aims to examine the individual and combined effect of socially sustainable transactional practices (SSTPs) and socially sustainable collaboration practices (SSCPs) on supplier's internal social performance and buyer's operational performance. The study also sets out to examine the moderating effects of social capital dimensions (i.e. relational, cognitive and structural) on the relationships among SSTPs, SSCPs and supplier's internal social performance. A mail survey was administered to 1,250 stratified randomly selected large manufacturing companies operating in the UK. An analysis of 119 responses using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation modelling (PLS-SEM) revealed that SSTPs are ineffective in driving supplier's internal social performance, whilst SSCPs are more effective. Moreover, although the interaction effect of SSTPs and SSCPs is non-significant, the data suggested that the simultaneous implementation can be detrimental to supplier's internal social performance. Furthermore, social capital dimensions were found to play different roles on the implementation of SSTPs and SSCPs. Relational capital plays a unique role by increasing the effectiveness of both SSTPs and SSCPs, while cognitive capital is critical for SSCPs, and structural capital is vital for SSTPs. This study contributes to SSCM literature by exclusively focusing on the social dimension of sustainability, examining the joint implementation of SSTPs and SSCPs and featuring the centrality of social capital in the implementation of SSCM practices. The study sets a foundation for new research avenues in the SSCM context and provides a set of managerial implications that support informed decision-making by supply chain managers.

The aim of this thesis is to contribute to knowledge in the form of a new theory for supply chain strategy formulation. The objective is to design evaluation criteria, specific to the context of greenfield project architecture and integration design. This study addressed the aim and objective by synthesising existing methods and techniques which are outlined into a research framework of supply chain strategy problems. The study applied the case study and action research methods to pursue conceptual validity from the process of investigating the supply chain strategy formulation in a specific situation and presented the data collection and analysis process. The thesis derived a conceptual framework for investigating and identifying the relationship between multiple elements, dimensions, forces and factors that influence and affect supply chain strategy formulation in a greenfield project context, specific to the mining industry. The contribution to knowledge emerged from building upon the architecture of the conceptual framework, through synthesising existing techniques and adapting these techniques, to extend and redefine the existing knowledge on the practice of supply chain strategy formulation. Through critical analysis, a number of critical problems emerged and the process of addressing these problems, resulted with a new framework for evaluating the relationship between business and supply chain strategy, specific to greenfield project and integration context. The contribution to knowledge also derived from addressing the emerging obstacles in the process of identifying, defining and formulating, the visions and goals of individual supply chain participants from implicit into an explicit form. The process synthesised the knowledge for conceptualising the idea, through developing and evaluating information and issues, to derive insights into the complex and abstract concept, of greenfield project business and supply chain strategy formulation. The conceptual framework and evaluation framework advanced into designing greenfield project supply chain integration strategy. The process involved categorising individual supply chain strategic interests, decisions and problems into formulation areas, and was aimed at defining the process of greenfield project integration strategy as a system of concepts containing formulation areas, formulation principles, segregated into subcategories of formulation imperatives and formulation concepts. The thesis contributed to knowledge with advancement of the design engineering method, which enables visualisation of the supply chain strategy evaluation process. The design is not personalised for individual company business strategy or supply chain strategy formulation. The method was personalised to evaluate the integration of individual goals, and concepts in a supply chain strategy formulation. The novelty that emerged from the thesis was a conceptual framework for greenfield project architecture and integration design. The greenfield project architecture and design derived in the thesis a proposed conceptual system for applying the conceptual framework and the evaluation criteria.

Reverse logistics has become a part of many governmental agendas in developed countries. It offers enormous opportunities in reducing the negative impact on the environment from industrialization and the enormous quantities of waste produced by industry and households, as well as saving material resources. The recovery of used products and materials is receiving growing attention as a result of limited landfill and incineration capacity. However, the evolution of reverse logistics initiatives in developing countries is relatively slow, indicating that there are still huge obstacles and concerns that need to be explored. The main aim of this study is to investigate the reverse logistics practices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The key forces of reverse logistics in more developed countries are compared with those in the KSA context. In particular, the current legislative framework and reverse logistics operations are evaluated against best practices in order to identify opportunities for KSA industries to improve their reverse logistics operations. For this purpose, qualitative research using a case study approach has been designed to collect data from different government agencies and thirteen organizations in KSA. These organizations were drawn from the oil, petrochemical and metal processing industries, all of which provide potential for the closed loop supply chain applications which are widely practiced outside KSA. Secondary data collection, direct observation and semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to facilitate comparison with the literature. A conceptual framework was developed from the literature. A template analysis approach was employed to analyze the gathered data. The framework was then applied to the research context to establish an overall view of the reverse logistics process as well as the key forces that influence the implementation of reverse logistics in KSA. The results revealed that the implementation of reverse logistics in KSA is at an early stage, with the exception of the oil processing industry. Applications of reverse logistics appear to be driven mainly by economic factors and are highly dependent on the capability provided by third-party logistics service providers. Supply chains tend to operate as open loops with recycled/reusable products being supplied to secondary markets and/or locations outside KSA. Furthermore, the adoption of best practice is hindered by the country's logistics infrastructure and by local legislation that does not appear to encourage waste recovery or promote the awareness or control of the reverse logistics process. Both government and industry need to collaborate to implement best practice in reverse logistics in KSA. Economic and environmental benefits can be achieved, especially through improved infrastructure provision, legislation and reverse logistics design. This study makes several contributions to knowledge. First, the framework and strategies will make an important contribution to the literature of reverse logistics by identifying the key forces, represented in a force field analysis diagram; and to general reverse logistics operations in developing countries in general and in Saudi Arabia in particular. Secondly, the findings identify further studies for reverse logistics in KSA and, possibly, for other emerging countries with a similar context. Thirdly, this study is distinguished from existing empirical work on reverse logistics in developed countries as it examines the framework in the context of KSA, and may be applicable to other developing countries. Fourthly, the study motivates changes in practice as it provides recommendations and guidance for practitioners and leaders on how to apply the best practices of reverse logistics in different sectors.

Submitted by RAFAEL FERNANDO DOS SANTOS null (rafael@cordeirobiz.com.br) on 2017-02-03T12:15:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 RELAÇÃO DOS AGENTES E ESTRUTURA DE GOVERNANÇA NO ARRANJO PRODUTIVO DA OVINOCULTURA DE CORTE NA REGIÃO DE GUARAPUAVA, PR.pdf: 844380 bytes, checksum: 0ec9a049c0e07c3256344b0c97a8de00 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by LUIZA DE MENEZES ROMANETTO (luizamenezes@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2017-02-06T18:32:59Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 santos_rf_me_bot.pdf: 844380 bytes, checksum: 0ec9a049c0e07c3256344b0c97a8de00 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-06T18:32:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 santos_rf_me_bot.pdf: 844380 bytes, checksum: 0ec9a049c0e07c3256344b0c97a8de00 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-01-13 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A cadeia produtiva da ovinocultura de corte requer estruturação para atender as demandas dos mercados internos e externos. A segurança alimentar é uma necessidade prioritária de produtores primários, processadores e distribuidores de alimentos, além dos próprios consumidores e organismos governamentais. Estas questões se tornam ainda mais importantes considerando que o segmento é composto de pequenos e médios produtores rurais e pequenas empresas que necessitam eliminar os fatores de insegurança jurídica no campo, melhorar a infraestrutura logística e reduzir custos, dentre outros fatores. Este trabalho teve por objetivo geral estudar a relação entre os agentes da cadeia da ovinocultura de corte. Para tanto, primeiramente foi realizada uma pesquisa bibliográfica baseada na teoria da segurança alimentar, produção de ovinos de corte, cooperativismo, gestão da qualidade, custos de transação, de gestão da cadeia de suprimentos, com o propósito de reunir elementos para guiar o estudo de caso único. A pesquisa de campo teve como objeto de estudo uma cooperativa na cidade de Guarapuava, Paraná, e reuniu ao todo unidades de análises compostas por: produtores rurais, gestores da cooperativa, processador e distribuidores (mercados varejista e institucional). Foram realizadas entrevistas com os agentes para identificação da gestão pelos atributos da qualidade exigidos pelos clientes em diferentes formatos: por meio dos seus desdobramentos ao longo da cadeia; das estruturas de governança; da relação e confiança entre os agentes como componentes de avaliação e de desempenho, incertezas e especificidade dos ativos para melhoria contínua dos processos. Esta estrutura resultou em um nível de gestão simples, com visão sistêmica e cooperação mútua entre os agentes desta cadeia, onde a cooperativa lidera e coordena estas ações. A principal relação entre os agentes da cooperativa é a confiança. Os resultados podem ser utilizados como referência para o planejamento da implantação da gestão da qualidade da produção animal e distribuição entre os agentes da cooperativa, assim como para estruturar e guiar auditorias internas e em fornecedores para as processadoras da carne de cordeiro e as empresas do mercado varejista/institucional, respectivamente. / The chain of sheep meat industry requires structuring to supply the demands of the domestic and foreign markets. Food safety is a priority need for primary producers, processors and distributors of food, in addition to consumers themselves and government agencies. These issues become even more important considering that this production chain is made up of small and medium farmers and small businesses that need to eliminate the legal uncertainty factors in the field, improve logistics infrastructure, reduce costs, among other factors. This work aims to study the relationship between the agentes on the sheep meat chain. Therefore, a literature search based on the theory of food security, production of sheep meat, cooperative, quality management, transaction costs, supply chain management, in order to gather information to guide the case study one of a kind. The field research was to study the object of a cooperative and gathered the whole, composite analysis units by: farmers, the cooperative managers, processors, distributors (retail and institutional markets). Interviews were conducted with agents for quality attributes for identity management required by customers in different formats: through its development along the chain; the relationship and trust between the agents as components of evaluation and performance, uncertainty and assets specificity for continuous process improvement. This structure resulted in a level of simple management, systemic vision and mutual cooperation between actors of the chain, where the cooperative leads and coordinates these actions. The main relationship between cooperative agents is trust. The results can be used as a reference for planning the deployment of animal production quality management and distribution between cooperative agents, as well as to structure and guide internal audits and suppliers to the processing of lamb and for companies retail / institutional market, respectively.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo analisar a cadeia de fornecimento de alimentos, especificamente os de origem animal, destinados ao atendimento dos alunos matriculados no ensino infantil no município de Piracicaba, estado de São Paulo (SP), de forma a identificar a existência de impasses que possam comprometer a qualidade desses produtos e a oferta aos alunos, durante as etapas de compra, armazenamento e transporte às unidades escolares. Para a coleta de dados foram utilizados questionários semiestruturados direcionados aos principais atores envolvidos na dinâmica da cadeia, além de informações referentes aos certames licitatórios para compra dos alimentos de origem animal entre os anos de 2014 a 2017, sendo estas informações obtidas a partir das análises documentais dos processos licitatórios. Participaram da pesquisa a gerente da alimentação escolar do município, a nutricionista responsável técnica, quatro fornecedores de alimentos de origem animal e 77 merendeiros(as). Os resultados apontaram dificuldades no descritivo dos produtos, no atendimento as regras dos procedimentos licitatórios e na elaboração dos padrões de qualidade. No que concerne aos editais licitatórios, verificou-se a subjetividade na descrição da ocorrência de análises sensoriais no momento das entregas dos produtos. Foram elencados problemas com os fornecedores referentes a troca ou reposição de produtos reprovados no momento das entregas, o não cumprimento das datas e das quantidades de produtos solicitadas, assim como a ocorrência de entrega de produtos com qualidade sensorial inadequada. Constatou-se a necessidade de munir as unidades escolares com termômetros do tipo infravermelho, para aferição e registro das temperaturas dos produtos. Além disso, os(as) merendeiros(as) devem ser responsáveis pela correta conferência dos alimentos, verificar a integridade das embalagens, bem como observar o asseio dos entregadores e dos veículos. A implantação de processos padronizados no momento em que ocorre a recusa dos alimentos de origem animal nas escolas é interessante, uma vez que foram verificadas algumas discrepâncias dos procedimentos realizados. Por fim, foram apurados problemas relativos ao armazenamento de alimentos de origem animal nas câmaras frias. Conclui-se que delinear e executar alguns processos tendem a contribuir para a otimização da cadeia de fornecimento de alimentos de origem animal, com vistas a manutenção de padrões de qualidade satisfatórios da alimentação escolar do município analisado. / The present study aimed to analyze the food supply chain, specifically those of animal origin, destined to the attendance of the students enrolled in the infantile education in the city of Piracicaba, state of SãoPaulo(SP), in order to identify the existence of deadlocks that could compromise the quality of these products and the supply to the students during the purchase, storage and transport stages to the school units. For the collection of data, semi-structured questionnaires were directed to the main actors involved in the dynamics of the chain, as well as information regarding the tenders for the purchase of food of animal origin between the years 2014 and 2017, and this information was obtained from the documentary analysis of the bidding processes. The researcher participated in the research to the municipality\'s school nutrition manager, the technical nutritionist responsible, four suppliers of animal foods and 77 picketers. The results pointed out difficulties in the descriptive of the products, in compliance with the rules of the bidding procedures and in the elaboration of quality standards. Regarding the bidding documents, the subjectivity was verified in the description of the occurrence of sensorial analyzes at the moment of the deliveries of the products. Problems with suppliers related to the exchange or replacement of products disapproved at the time of delivery, failure to meet the dates and quantities of products requested, as well as the occurrence of delivery of products with inadequate sensory quality were listed. It was verified the need to equip the school units with thermometers of the infrared type, for gauging and recording the temperatures of the products. In addition, shopkeepers should be responsible for proper food inspection, check the integrity of the packaging, and observe the cleanliness of delivery personnel and vehicles. The implementation of standardized processes at the time of refusal of food of animal origin in schools is interesting, since some discrepancies of the procedures were verified. Finally, problems were identified concerning the storage of animal foods in the cold rooms. It is concluded that the delineation and execution of some processes tend to contribute to the optimization of the food supply chain of animal origin, with a view to maintaining satisfactory quality standards of school feeding in the analyzed municipality.

Indian pharmaceutical companies spend one-third of their revenue from supply chain management (SCM) activities due to inherently poor transportation infrastructure. SCM is a vital function for many companies, as it is usually employed to lower expenses and increase sales for the company. SCM costs are higher in India than they are in other areas of the world, amounting to 13% of India's GDP. The purpose of this study was to explore SCM strategies Indian business leaders in the pharmaceutical industry have used to reduce the high costs associated with SCM. This study used a single case study research design and semistructured interviews to collect data from 3 SCM business leaders working in Indian pharmaceutical organizations and possessing successful experience in using SCM strategies to reduce high costs. Goldratt's (1990) theory of constraints was used as the conceptual framework for this study to identify challenges associated with SCM strategies. Data from semistructured interviews, observations, and company documents were processed and analyzed using data source triangulation, grouping the raw data into key themes. The following 3 themes emerged: distribution and logistics challenges, impact of SCM processes, and best practices and solutions. The implications for positive social change include the potential to reduce supply chain risk, which could lead to lower product prices for consumers, increased stakeholder satisfaction, and a higher standard of living.

Contrairement à un système d'identification plus traditionnel tel que le code à barres, la nouvelle technologie RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) utilise des ondes radio fréquence pour transmettre des données entre une étiquette et un lecteur pour pouvoir identifier, localiser ou suivre une entité dans une chaîne d'approvisionnement. Cette propriété lui procure certains avantages (facilité d'accès à l'information, suivi continu, amélioration de l'exactitude des données, détection du vol et de la contrefaçon, etc..) par rapport à d'autres systèmes d'identification et de capture de données. Nous partons du constat que l'utilisation de cette nouvelle technologie permettra aux acteurs de la chaîne logistique de pouvoir partager une information de meilleure qualité, plus exhaustive et fiable concernant le flux physique et le suivi de la localisation produits. Or, l'hypothèse implicite considérée dans la plupart des modèles classiques de gestion de stock est que l'on a une connaissance parfaite du flux entrant et sortant. L'objectif de recherche sera d'intégrer dans ces modèles des dégradations venant fausser le flux nominal et d'en analyser les conséquences (en termes de coût additionnel). Un accent fort sera mis sur le développement de solutions combinant efficacité et simplicité. L'accent sera mis aussi sur le mode de partage du coût de cette technologie entre plusieurs acteurs de la chaîne logistique : serait-il mieux de partager les bénéfices de cette technologie dans un environnement de coordination ou dans un environnement de compétitivité entre acteurs? Les résultas de cette thèse porte sur l'élaboration de modèles théoriques -de type gestion de stock – concernant la production, la distribution et l'approvisionnement dans une chaîne logistique et faisant intervenir et le coût et les gains potentiels de cette nouvelle technologie d'identification automatique.

On s'intéresse à l'impact de l'utilisation de nouvelles technologies d'identification et de capture de données et en particulier de la technologie RFID sur les performances des chaînes logistiques.

<p>This report is the result of a Master Thesis written at Toyota Material Handling Europe (TMHE), with the purpose to map the existing spare part supply chain structure and to analyse future suggested supply chain structures with a focus on transportation flows.</p><p>TMHE is one of the world’s largest producing forklift distributers with large market shares throughout Europe. Besides the main activity of forklifts the aftermarket of distributing spare parts is a major business. With a current decentralised supply chain, the Future Logistic Concept (FLC) project was established to analyse the possibilities of a more centralised European supply chain.</p><p>While earlier analyses within the FLC have been focusing on the customer market, this thesis aims towards completing with analyses on the opposite side of the supply chain. It will present an aggregated view over a possible FLC supply chain setup with focus on suppliers, replenishment flows and usage of express transportation solutions.</p><p>An analysis was performed based on supplier localisation and historically delivered tonnages. To be able to analyse the replenishment flows between European Distribution Centre (EDC) and Regional Distribution Centres (RDC), an inventory control and transportation model was developed. The model calculates costs for inventory holding, replenishment flows and express flows and optimises the relationships between these controlling variables. This makes it possible to analyse the transportation flows in a specified set of possible supply chain structures.</p><p>The results of the localisation analyses based on suppliers, show that the central part of the supply chain should be located in the northern parts of central Europe. To be able to minimise the supplier inflow facilities should be established in Mjölby and Ancenis. A warehouse in Eastern Europe is probably necessary to be able to keep customer lead times at an acceptable level, but from a supply point of view this location is not supported due to the low amount of Easter European suppliers.</p><p>The results from the model suggests a supply chain structure with a central distribution centre in Antwerp, Belgium (Scenario 2 in the analysis) and regional warehouses in Sweden, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and the Czech Republic.</p>

<p>Extranets as they have come to be termed are revolutionizing supply chains and their management. Companies and organizations with quite different internal information systems can now access data from other supply chain members. Information can be shared easily and at relatively low cost. A major benefit that flows from this greater</p><p>transparency is that internal operation of the business can become more efficient as a result.</p><p>This thesis studies extranet in development of supply chain from case company’s perspective. Finnsementti Oy was chosen as a case company because they had a desire to improve the operation of their supply chain by developing an extranet. Finnsementti Oy is a Finnish cement manufacturer since 1914. At the moment Finnsementti</p><p>produces 85% of the cement needed in Finland. Most of company’s business is B-to-B.Finnsementti actively develops its operation and this thesis also supports that goal by aiming to improve the efficiency of Finnsementti’s supply chain which again is assumed to have a positive impact on competitive advantage and profitability.</p><p>Based on a CRM study conducted in spring 2005 Finnsementti Oy decided to develop its existing rarely used customer forum into an efficient customer-oriented extranet. Finnsementti aims to improve its customer service, improve supply chain performance and make its order and delivery process more efficient. In advance extranet was</p><p>assumed to enable all this. Extranet project was initiated in early fall 2005 and this study was initiated simultaneously. The starting-point of this thesis was Finnsementti’s desire to implement a supply chain improving extranet, and in order to do that, the implementation had to be successful. Due to the fact that supply chains are currently evolving towards networked e-supply chains there is quite lot of existing literature about how a supply chain performance can be improved by using electronic tools. This study concentrates on these facts, related assumption and expectations. It was also evaluated from case company’s perspective how likely these expected improvements are going to realized; is there something unexpected and additional that Finnsementti has not been able to predict? In order to find this out extranet was studied at first from literature and then from case company’s and their employee’s perspective. One of the goals of this study was to determine what is the actual condition for completing this extranet project successfully because only that can enable the realization of supply chain improvements. How to make employees and customers adopt this new extranet and so that they will start to use it actively in their daily activities? The foundation for this part of the study was the comprehensive literature review conducted on supply chain improvements. Based on that, observations and interviews, an expectations theory was built. According to this theory user’s realistic and accurate expectations make a good foundation for accepting a new information system. If the user’s expectations are fulfilled, user will perceive the new system easy to use and useful which on the other hand leads to acceptance of the system. This</p><p>expectations theory can be used as a starting point for almost any information system implementation where user acceptance is considered critical.</p>