The strategic importance of FMCG SME's supply chains makes it paramount that their performances are measured. Performance measurement in the context of on-time delivery is of high importance to SME's. SME's compete with large companies within the FMCG sector, as such gaining a competitive advantage is an extremely difficult task for these small and medium companies. There is an everincreasing interest toward the field of supply chain management and much attention has been deemed towards the importance of information sharing in gaining competitive advantage for SMEs. The integration of the chain both internally and externally through information sharing ( visibility) can lead to increase supply chain performance such as on-time delivery, therefore increasing competitive advantage for the SME's. The study aim to develop a conceptual framework and a model to evaluate the impact of visibility tools usage in FMCG SME's. This research highlights some visibility tools such as ERP systems, Sage software that influences the level of information shared among the parties within the SME supply chain. This research examined the potential of information technology based tools and visibility factors and aims to provide factors that may influence the sharing of information between suppliers and customers along the supply chain, thus meeting on time delivery schedules. This research employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches, with regression and correlation tests also conducted. Two questionnaires were administered, one at the case study company, the other at 100 SME's across London, 63 valid questionnaires were received and analyzed using SPSS software (manufactured by IBM, version 20). The findings of this research revealed that having shared values among SME's influenced the level of information that is shared and thus the level of visibility achieved within the supply chain. Further, it was revealed that large companies are able to utilize more in depth IT based systems, while small and medium sized companies had a tendency to utilize informal means for their visibility tools. In addition, the analysis of the research model indicated that supplier lead time and supplier chain reliability greatly influenced the ICT infrastructure of a FMCG SME. The model analysis also indicated that the delivery lead time influenced on-time delivery. In addition supply chain responsiveness was found to explain 30.9% of the variances found in supply chain visibility.

The research presented in this thesis has focussed on exploring buyer- supplier relationships from a human perspective. To date, researchers across the globe have studied buyer-supplier relationships and endeavoured to find means to try to make them better. This has led to many new relationship development programmes initiated by companies and new concepts introduced by academics for the betterment of buyersupplier relationships. The focus of academics has been in trying to study buyersupplier relationships from various factors, viz. power, opportunistic behaviour, unethical behaviour, partnerships, collaborations, etc. All these endeavours have focussed on using technology or business processes in order to streamline operations and create environments, which would foster partnerships or collaborations. One aspect not usually given prominence in these studies has been the presence of humans in the relationship as representatives of the transacting companies. Giving this more focus, the researcher feels that organisational culture plays a very strong role in the way organisations operate, and when two organisations transact with each other the individual culture is bound to play a role in the way the transaction is conducted. The individual culture of the organisation also depends upon the humans in the organisation. Since, the focus of the research was on exploring the buyer-supplier relationships from a human perspective, the research sought this perspective from people working in purchasing or sales functions in different companies. The information was collected by conducting "Phenomenological Interviews" with focus on "critical incidents" affecting the relationship. The information was analysed for themes which led to the need to study buyer-supplier relationships from two perspectives: 1) game-like behaviour, 2) discretion, humans have in the relationship. The presence of game-like behaviour and humans in the relationship led the researcher to study the concepts of "Transactional Analysis" and check for the feasibility to transfer the concepts from a therapeutic setting to buyer- supplier relationships. The research has been successful in exploring issues affecting buyer-supplier relationships. A methodology for aligning supply chains by taking into account human issues has been proposed. The methodology comprises a relationship framework that is used for studying buyer-supplier relationships on a macro- level based on the levels of satisfaction the entities have with each other. Since high levels of dissatisfaction lead to various change- inducing transactions or game-like behaviour between the entities, the framework identifies the status of the relationship, and can be used to gauge what's going to happen to it, once the transaction is over. The concepts of Transactional Analysis and the tools associated with it, viz. Drama Triangle analysis and structural modelling are useful in studying the dynamics of the transactions from the human perspective and also from a psychological perspective.

This is the first research to empirically study the congruity in supply chain operations strategies. The tests show that the congruity in supply chain operations strategies are related to performance and also moderate the association between performance and the types of supply chain relationships. 308 manufacturing firms were studied for empirical tests. Various methods including multiple regressions, cluster analyses, and logistic regressions are applied in this study. Based on the tests, five hypotheses are supported and only one hypothesis is inconclusive. This dissertation contributes in different thresholds. First, by studying operations strategies through a different angle (the supply chain instead of a firm) this study reconciles results in the relationships between performance and operations strategies and between performance and supply chain relationships. Therefore, this study contributes to reconciling two long-term puzzles in both operations strategies and supply chain management literatures. Second, this research draws on three different disciplines, operations strategies, supply chain management and organization theory (resource dependence theory). This interdisciplinary approach provides a broader perspective in operations management research. Third, through this research, guidelines are provided for not only powerful firms but also the weak ones on how to improve their performance through developing different types of supply chain relationships and integrating their operations strategies with their supply chain members.

Supply chains are considered the foundation of the global economy, and businesses with global supply chains usually encounter at least 1 disruption annually. Mitigating the negative impact of disruptions is critical to supply chain managers, as disruptions can negatively impact organizational profitability and performance. Grounded in the resource dependence theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies organizational and supply chain managers use to mitigate negative results from supply chain disruption. Participants were 4 supply chain managers working in 2 different international organizations located in Jordan, who used effective strategies to mitigate supply chain disruptions. Data collection involved semistructured interviews and a review of organizational documents. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, and 2 main themes emerged: Developing relationships and collaboration and strategy to identify supply chain disruption. The implications for positive social change include the potential for organizational and supply chain managers to mitigate negative results of supply chain disruptions and improve organizational performance. Sustaining organizational performance promotes the well-being of employees, families, communities, and the economy, which can result in customer satisfaction, business growth, and stable employment.

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