This thesis studies the influence of horizontal competition on supply chain performance. Unlike most of the existing literature which focuses on horizontal competition between echelon levels, we look at both the supply chain and the individual company??s performance with the presence of supply chain to supply chain competition. Specifically, this thesis is composed of three individual research papers. The first paper deals with chain-to-chain horizontal competition and considers price competition among an arbitrary number of supply chains by comparing two cases. In the first case each supply chain is vertically integrated, while in the second, decentralised, case the manufacturers and retailers act independently. We explore the effect of varying the level of price competition on the profitts of the industry participants and demonstrate the important role played by the spread of underlying market shares. The coefficient of variation of these market shares determines whether decentralised supply chains can outperform integrated supply chains with an appropriate level of competition. The second and third papers focus on in-chain horizontal competition with capacity constraints. In the second paper, we look at a supply chain with one manufacturer and two downstream retailers. Based on total capacity available, the manufacturer needs to find ways to best use the capacity by determining whether or not to release the capacity information to retailers. The third paper looks at competition in a more complicated supply chain structure. A retailer buys three brands of products from two manufacturers. One manufacturer produces both branded and private label products, and the other one manufactures a branded product only. With our model, we are able to determine the profits of each supply chain agent. At the end of the paper, we use data from the Australian milk industry and discuss a problem in which a manufacturer needs to decide how to allocate capacity between the national brand and the private label when there is a capacity shortage.

Doctor of Philosophy / Buyer-supplier relationships have been increasingly considered a critical part of contemporary supply chain management. In response to dynamic and unpredictable market changes, buyers and suppliers enter into cooperative relationships to pursue individual goals and joint goals for better economic and non-economic performance of the supply chain. On the other hand, cooperation between channel members is surrounded by uncertainty, which can create a detrimental impact on the performance of a supply chain. Previous research has focused on various aspects of uncertainty that could affect supply chain member behaviour. The present research contends that relationship behavioural factors play an important role in increasing or mitigating channel members’ perceived uncertainty in their supply or purchase decision-making. Specifically, the purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of retailer-supplier cooperation and retailer/supplier’s decision-making uncertainty (DMU) on retail supply chain performance from the perspectives of both the retailer and the supplier. A holistic model was developed as the theoretical framework for this conceptualisation. A sample of 202 retailers and 64 suppliers in the sporting goods retail business in Taiwan was used to separately test a number of hypothesised relationships by using structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings indicate that both cooperation and DMU are the key determinants of retail supply chain performance, including financial performance and non-financial performance (i.e., supply flexibility and customer service). Financial performance is positively affected by retailer-supplier cooperation and negatively affected by DMU in both the retailer model and the supplier model. The five dimensions of retailer-supplier cooperation (i.e. trust, guanxi, dependence, coercive power and non-coercive power) have significant effects on cooperation. However, apart from guanxi with the retailer/supplier, neither other relationship dimensions nor retailer-supplier cooperation have any influence on retailer’s DMU or supplier’s DMU. The results also indicate that differences and similarities exist across retailers and suppliers with respect to the effects of several relationship dimensions on cooperation and uncertainty. 2 The holistic empirical model developed for this research contributes further to understanding the links, which have been lacking in the extant channel relationship literature and supply chain management literature, between buyer-supplier relationships, DMU, and supply chain performance. The findings that a retailer/supplier’s DMU can erode the performance of a supply chain in various aspects highlight the need for improvement in some areas of supply chain efficiency and effectiveness, through cooperation-enhancing actions between the retailer and the supplier. From a managerial perspective, the performance improvement in the supply chain, in turn, will motivate more reciprocal commitment and efforts from the retailer and the supplier to maintain their working relationship. As such, mutual trust and enriched guanxi, dependence and non-coercive power help both the retailer and the supplier to have less uncertainty in their purchase/supply decision-making process. It creates a win-win position for both parties in the supply chain.

Zugl.: Duisburg, Essen, Univ., Diss., 2006

Zugl.: Zittau, Internat. Hochsch.-Inst., Diss., 2007.

Zugl.: Dortmund, Univ., Diss., 2002

Zugl.: Osnabrück, Universiẗat, Diss., 2007.

<p>It is of increasing importance to in the most effective possible way, manage and control all the transactions of raw materials, products and information that are exchanged between an organization and all its operators. These flows and the need for strategy and managing the processes of planning, implementing and control of the supply chain, has given name to the concept supply chain management. Supply chain management involves all movement and storage of raw material, and all the processes that is needed to manufacture a product from origin to consumption. Globalization, technology and increasing time and quality-based competition are all driving forces behind the concept and reasons for an increasing interest in supply chain management.</p><p>The purpose of this essay is to by using a qualitative case study examine which decisive success factors that can be identified for effective supply chain management. We have compiled different theories on the subject to use for analyzing a case study Li & Fung, who is a successful supply chain management company. We intend to give a detailed description of this complex concept and identify decisive success factors for effective supply chain management.</p><p>The study shows two prominent aspects for effective supply chain management; (1) Leadership and (2) control of the supply chain.</p>

It is of increasing importance to in the most effective possible way, manage and control all the transactions of raw materials, products and information that are exchanged between an organization and all its operators. These flows and the need for strategy and managing the processes of planning, implementing and control of the supply chain, has given name to the concept supply chain management. Supply chain management involves all movement and storage of raw material, and all the processes that is needed to manufacture a product from origin to consumption. Globalization, technology and increasing time and quality-based competition are all driving forces behind the concept and reasons for an increasing interest in supply chain management. The purpose of this essay is to by using a qualitative case study examine which decisive success factors that can be identified for effective supply chain management. We have compiled different theories on the subject to use for analyzing a case study Li &amp; Fung, who is a successful supply chain management company. We intend to give a detailed description of this complex concept and identify decisive success factors for effective supply chain management. The study shows two prominent aspects for effective supply chain management; (1) Leadership and (2) control of the supply chain.

The future has always caught the attention of the human being. The thirst of exploring the future and to know the unknown has driven the human being toward innovativeness. Companies are expanding their operations worldwide since the past few decades. Profit growth coupled with an effective strategy has become the primary need of global companies. Research in this area has given rise to optimization of the supply chain for higher profitability. Considering the overall strategy the company needs to plan production well in advance. The operational planning comes in picture at this moment. In order to reduce excessive inventory at each stage of the production; one should know the demand of the next stage and preferably the end customer demand. The process of sales forecasting is undertaken to predict demand at different stages. It is a complex managerial function and hence needed to be undertaken by a scientific way. The sales forecasting the function includes process of forecasting, administration, hardware, software, users and developers of forecast. Historically sales forecasting has been considered as a side activity by most of the companies. Sales forecasting has not been considered as an important function of marketing and finance. Very few companies have seen sales forecasting by a scientific management point of view. Less research has been reported in sales forecasting in comparison to other managerial functions. Planning based on sales forecasting; may be part of a selected strategy for growth and profitability. These facts have attracted us to study sales forecasting as a managerial function. The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the sales forecasting process, sales forecasting system, sales forecasting methods and techniques. Further proposing possibilities of improvements in existing forecasting process is also purpose of this study. We have selected three manufacturing companies for this study based on purposive sampling. Considering research interest in phenomenon study; we have selected a qualitative research strategy for this study. We have selected a case study method for our research as it is the most appropriate tool to study the relation between theory and phenomenon. For this research, we have collected the data by semistructured interviews based on a pre formed questionnaire. The questionnaire has been prepared with respect to our research purpose and open ended questions were used to gather extensive data. The data gathered during interviews, have been analyzed by the use of ‘Flow model’ suggested by Miles and Huberman (1994). Results from this study shows that there is a need to see ‘sales forecasting’ as a management function rather than a computer activity. To achieve the best information integration throughout the supply chain, increased information visibility is needed. To achieve accuracy in both forecasting and planning; collaborative forecasting may be used. Forecasting software needs to have a suite of methods towards product specific forecasting. The need of customized softwares has also been indicated by this study. The need to measure performance of forecasting by means of accuracy, cost and customer relationship has been concluded.

I denna undersökning studeras ett reservdelsflöde inom eftermarknad ur ett organisatorisktperspektiv. Reservdelen glidskenan på Atlas Copcos borriggar fungerar som fallstudieobjekt. Glidskenan är en tunn stålprofil, som mäter mellan två och åtta meter och skyddar matarbalkarna på ovan- och underjordsborriggar mot slitage. Vår uppdragsgivare Atlas Copcos Shared Distributionscenter (i fortsättningen DC) upplever problem i flödet av glidskenor. Glidskenan är skrymmande och svår att hantera, förpacka och transportera och flödet flyter inte effektivt. De upplevda problemen har varit kända i över 12 år och förbättringsansatser har runnit ut i sanden. Genom kartläggning av hur flödet flyter idag och hur organisationen runt flödet agerar har tre teman presenterats och analyserats. Dessa tre teman förklarar de bakomliggande organisatoriska aspekterna som påverkar glidskenans flöde och varför de upplevda problemen inte blir åtgärdade. Studien lyfter fram vikten av samarbete mellan de olika organisatoriska funktionerna och individerna i organisationen. Om samarbetet dem emellan fungerar kan synergieffekter erhållas, men ett bristande samarbete kan också hämma organisationens potential. Det första temat behandlar att kunskap finns inom organisationen, men att den inte sprids mellan medarbetarna. Med utgångspunkt i studiens andra tema konstaterar vi att medarbetarnas olika syn på glidskenan utgör en barriär för kunskapsspridning. Olika syn hämmar även medarbetarnas engagemang och intresse för att hitta förbättringar inom glidskenans flöde. I studiens tredje tema, avstånd, ser vi att organisationens fysiska men framförallt mentala avstånd hindrar organisationsmedlemmarna att känna en vi-samhet. Utan denna vi-samhet finns inga incitament till samarbete för att effektivisera glidskenans flöde. / In this research a spare part flow within aftermarket has been studied through an organizational perspective. The slide-bar is a spare part in Atlas Copco Rock Drills assortment and forms a case study for our research. The slide bar is a thin steel profile which measures between two and eight centimetres. They are placed on the feeders of surface- and underground drilling rigs as a protection from wear and tear. Atlas Copco Shared Distribution Center (DC) has given us a case as a background for our research. The slide bars are bulky to handle, wrap and transport and for DC the flow appears to be ineffective and expensive. DC are experiencing problems within the material flow of slide bars and is puzzled why no improvement has been done, although the problems has been known to DC for over twelve years. Projects to improve the flow has been initiated but gone down the drains.