Supply chain uncertainty is a key issue that affects firm competitiveness (1993; Yang et al., 2004); and, therefore, identifying the major sources of uncertainty within supply chains and developing strategies to manage them is an important challenge (Sabri & Beamon, 2000). There is an emerging literature on supply chain uncertainty but additional empirical research is required to further develop understanding of this phenomenon. This leads to an important research question to explore what sources of uncertainty can be identified in practice, what are the dimensions of these sources, and how can they be managed. To address this research question, this thesis has developed a theoretical model of supply chain uncertainty. Using this theoretical model to structure the investigation, an empirical study has been conducted in the food industry in Indonesia with twelve inter-related companies (4 suppliers, 4 iv manufacturers, and 4 retailers). Twenty three semi-structured interviews with thirty two senior representatives from the twelve companies have been conducted; interviews were audio and video recorded, and analysed using Atlas.ti. A comprehensive approach, which goes beyond previous studies, has been undertaken. Fourteen sources of uncertainty, including those internal to the firm (e.g., manufacturing process), internal to the supply chain (e.g., supplier) and external (e.g., environment) have been explored and twenty two management strategies for reducing or coping with the relevant dimensions have been identified Other research contributions are also identified such as the dynamic and multi dimensional process of managing sources of uncertainty. The findings of the thesis have implications for managers. For example, reducing uncertainty strategies such as collaboration are generally preferred over coping with uncertainty strategies but are difficult to implement when sources of uncertainty span beyond the boundaries of the firm. Future research should explore issues emerging from this study, such as ethical issues affecting supply chain uncertainty. Keywords: Supply chain uncertainty; uncertainty management; case study research.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:556682 |
| Date | January 2010 |
| Creators | Simangunsong, Eliot Sation |
| Publisher | Lancaster University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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