Literature Review

1. Information Technology in Supply Chains: The Value of IT-Enabled Resources

Under Competition, Mar 2009
Author: Shutao Dong, Sean Xin Xu, Kevin Xiaoguo Zhu
In this paper the author suggests the value of information technology (IT) in
supply chain contexts. Grounded in the resource-based theory in conjunction with transaction
cost economics, we develop a conceptual model that links three IT-related resources (backend
integration, managerial skills, and partner support) to firm performance improvement. The
model differs from previous studies by proposing a moderating effect of competition on the
resource-performance relationships. Using data of 743 manufacturing firms, our analysis
indicates significant contribution of IT to supply chains, which is generated through
development of the digitally enabled integration capability and manifested at the process level
along the supply chain. The technological resource alone, however, does not hold the answer to
IT value creation. In fact, managerial skills, which enable adaptations on supply chain processes
and corporate strategy to accommodate the use of IT, are shown to play the strongest role in IT
value creation. Furthermore, backend integration and managerial skills are found to be more
valuable in more competitive environments. While commodity-like resources have diminishing
value under competition, integrational and managerial resources become even stronger. Overall,
our results shed light on the key drivers of IT-enabled supply chains, and provide insights into
how competition shapes IT value.

2. From a literature review to a conceptual framework for sustainable supply chain

management, Oct 2008
Authors: Stefan Seuring , Martin Muller

In this paper they suggests that the academic and corporate interest in sustainable
supply chain management has risen considerably in recent years. This can be seen by the
number of papers published and in particular by journal special issues. To establish the field
further, the purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it offers a literature review on sustainable
supply chain management taking 191 papers published from 1994 to 2007 into account.
Second, it offers a conceptual framework to summarize the research in this field comprising
three parts. As starting point related triggers are identified. This allows putting forward two
distinct strategies: (1) supplier management for risks and performance, and (2) supply chain
management for sustainable products. It is evident that research is still dominated by
green/environmental issues. Social aspects and also the integration of the three dimensions of
sustainability are still rare. Both practitioners in companies and academics might find the
review useful, as it outlines major lines of research in the field. Further, it discusses specific
features of sustainable supply chains as well as limitations of existing research; this should
stimulate further research.

3. Supply chain management: an analytical framework for critical

literature review, March 2000.
Author: Simon Croom, , Pietro Romano, Mihalis Giannakis

In this paper they suggests that there can be little dispute that supply chain management
is an area of importance in the field of management research, yet there have been few literature
reviews on this topic (Bechtel and Mulumudi, 1996, Proceedings of the 1996 NAPM Annual
Academic Conference; Harland, 1996, British Journal of Management 7 (special issue), 6380;
Cooper et al., 1997). This paper sets out not to review the supply chain literature per se, but
rather to contribute to a critical theory debate through the presentation and use of a framework
for the categorisation of literature linked to supply chain management. The study is based on the
analysis of a large number of publications on supply chain management (books, journal articles,
and conference papers) using a Procite database from which the literature has been classified
according to two criteria: a content- and a methodology-oriented criterion.

4. Build-to-order supply chain management: a literature review and

framework for development 2004
Authors: A.Gunasekaran, E.W.T Ngai

In this paper they suggests that the build-to-order supply chain

management (BOSC) strategy has recently attracted the attention of both
researchers and practitioners, given its successful implementation in many
companies including Dell computers, Compaq, and BMW. The growing
number of articles on BOSC in the literature is an indication of the
importance of the strategy and of its role in improving the competitiveness
of an organization. The objective of a BOSC strategy is to meet the
requirements of individual customers by leveraging the advantages of
outsourcing and information technology. There are not many research
articles that provide an overview of BOSC, despite the fact that this strategy
is being promoted as the operations paradigm of the future. The main
objective of this research is to (i) review the concepts of BOSC, (ii) develop
definitions of BOSC, (iii) classify the literature based on a suitable
classification scheme, leading to some useful insights into BOSC and some
future research directions, (iv) review the selected articles on BOSC for their
contribution to the development and operations of BOSC, (v) develop a
framework for BOSC, and (vi) suggest some future research directions. The
literature has been reviewed based on the following four major areas of
decision-making: organizational competitiveness, the development and
implementation of BOSC, the operations of BOSC, and information
technology in BOSC. Some of the important observations are: (a) there is a
lack of adequate research on the design and control of BOSC, (b) there is a
need for further research on the implementation of BOSC, (c) human

resource issues in BOSC have been ignored, (d) issues of product

commonality and modularity from the perspective of partnership or supplier
development require further attention and (e) the trade-off between
responsiveness and the cost of logistics needs further study. The paper ends
with concluding remarks.

5. Electronic marketplaces: A literature review and a call for supply chain

management research, Jan 2003.
Authors: Martin Geiger

In this paper he suggests that these days, Internet-based

electronic marketplaces (EMs) are getting more and more popular. They
emerge in different industries, supporting the exchange of goods and
services of different kinds, with and for different types of actors, and are
following different architectural principles. Most observers have assumed
that EM would come to dominate the e-business landscape. Once you look
beyond the publicity, however, you quickly see that most EMs are struggling.
The supply chain dimension of an EM is largely neglected and poorly
managed, while basic logistics operation is currently hampering turnover and
revenues. The Paper at hand examines, based on a critical literature review,
the actual EM discussion and calls for more supply chain management
research within this field.

6. Global supply chain design: A literature review and critique, Nov 2005
Authors: Mary J. Meixell , Vidyaranya B. Gargeya
In this paper, they review decision support models for the design of global supply chains,
and assess the fit between the research literature in this area and the practical issues of global
supply chain design. The classification scheme for this review is based on ongoing and emerging
issues in global supply chain management and includes review dimensions for (1) decisions
addressed in the model, (2) performance metrics, (3) the degree to which the model supports
integrated decision processes, and (4) globalization considerations. We conclude that although
most models resolve a difficult feature associated with globalization, few models address the
practical global supply chain design problem in its entirety. We close the paper with
recommendations for future research in global supply chain modeling that is both forwardlooking and practically oriented.

7. The impact of information technology on supply chain capabilities and firm

performance: A resource-based view, May 2006

Authors: Fang Wua, Sengun Yeniyurtb, Daekwan Kimc, , S. Tamer Cavusgild

In this paper they suggests that organizations increasingly rely on information technology
(IT) to improve the supply chain process. Yet, past evidence suggests that the investment in IT
per se does not guarantee enhanced organizational performance. Drawing from the resourcebased view, this study proposes that IT-enabled supply chain capabilities are firm-specific, and
hard-to-copy across organizations. These capabilities can serve as a catalyst in transforming ITrelated resources into higher value for a firm. Based on data collected from surveying supply
chain and logistics managers in various industries, the present study sheds light on these issues.
The findings provide a new perspective in evaluating IT investment in the supply chain process.

8. Issues in Supply Chain Management , 2000

Authors: Douglas M Lambert, Martha C Cooper

In this paper they suggests that Successful supply chain management

requires cross-functional integration and marketing must play a critical
role. The challenge is to determine how to successfully accomplish this
integration. We present a framework for supply chain management as
well as questions for how it might be implemented and questions for
future research. Case studies conducted at several companies and
involving multiple members of supply chains are used to illustrate the
concepts described.

9. Sustainable supply chain management and inter-organizational

resources: a literature review, July 2009
Authors: Stefan Gold, Stefan Seuring and Philip Beske
In this paper they suggests on the basis of a content analysis,
this paper explores the role of sustainable supply chain management as a
catalyst of generating valuable inter-organizational resources and thus
possible sustained inter-firm competitive advantage through collaboration
on environmental and social issues. Drawing on the resource-based view
and its extension, the relational view, this paper highlights that partnerfocused supply management capabilities evolve to corporate core
competences as competition shifts from an inter-firm to an inter-supplychain level. The collaborative paradigm in supply chain management
regards strategic collaboration as a crucial source of competitive
advantage. Collaboration is even more essential when supply chains aim
at ensuring simultaneously economic, environmental and social
performance on a product's total life-cycle basis. Inter-firm resources and
capabilities emerging from supply-chain-wide collaboration are prone to
become sources of sustained inter-firm competitive advantage, since they
are socially complex, causally ambiguous and historically grown and
hence particularly difficult to imitate by competitors.

10. Institutional isomorphism and the adoption of information technology

for supply chain management, Jan 2006
Authors: Kee-hung Lai, Christina W.Y. Wong, T.C. Edwin Cheng
In this paper they suggest the adoption of information
technology (IT) along a supply chain has increasingly become a necessity for
enhancing supply chain performance. Organizations in a supply chain often
adopt IT due to the institutional pressure exerted by their supply chain
partners. The implications of the different types of institutional isomorphism,
namely coercion, mimesis, and norms, are explored from both the
perspectives of firms that have taken the initiatives to adopt IT and those
that have followed their supply chain partners to adopt IT. The possible
impact of the different types of institutional isomorphism discussed here can
help managers to better understand the institutional pressure they are
putting on and/or of adapting to their supply chain partners, in particular, the
possible problems and the injunctions/compliances they may face in the
course of adopting IT for the management of their supply chains. The
implications of institutional isomorphism on the adoption of IT for supply
chain management are discussed.
11. The impact of supply chain management practices on competitive
advantage and organizational performance, 2006

Authors: Suhong Lia, Bhanu Ragu-Nathan, T.S. Ragu-Nathanb, S. Subba

Rao
In this paper they suggest an effective supply chain
management (SCM) has become a potentially valuable way of securing
competitive advantage and improving organizational performance since
competition is no longer between organizations, but among supply chains.
This research conceptualizes and develops five dimensions of SCM practice
(strategic supplier partnership, customer relationship, level of information
sharing, quality of information sharing, and postponement) and tests the
relationships between SCM practices, competitive advantage, and
organizational performance. Data for the study were collected from 196
organizations and the relationships proposed in the framework were tested
using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that higher levels of
SCM practice can lead to enhanced competitive advantage and improved
organizational performance. Also, competitive advantage can have a direct,
positive impact on organizational performance.

12. Modeling Supply Chain Dynamics: A Multiagent Approach, June 2007

Authors: Jayashankar M. Swaminathan1, Stephen F. Smith, Norman M.
Sadeh,

In this paper they suggest that a global economy and increase in

customer expectations in terms of cost and services have put a premium on
effective supply chain reengineering. It is essential to perform risk-benefit
analysis of reengineering alternatives before making a final decision.
Simulation provides an effective pragmatic approach to detailed analysis and
evaluation of supply chain design and management alternatives. However,
the utility of this methodology is hampered by the time and effort required to
develop models with sufficient fidelity to the actual supply chain of interest.
In this paper, we describe a supply chain modeling framework designed to
overcome this difficulty. Using our approach, supply chain models are
composed from software components that represent types of supply chain
agents (e.g., retailers, manufacturers, transporters), their constituent control
elements (e.g., inventory policy), and their interaction protocols (e.g.,
message types). The underlying library of supply chain modeling
components has been derived from analysis of several different supply
chains. It provides a reusable base of domain-specific primitives that enables
rapid development of customized decision support tools.

13. Supply Chain Logistics, Trade Facilitation and International Trade: A

Macroeconomic Policy View, Jul 2012
Author: Catherine L. Mann

In this paper they suggests that the trade facilitation (TF) is the rubric
that covers the research and policy analysis on impediments to global
sourcing and multinational supply chains that are not the traditional
border barriers such as tariffs or quotas. Trade-facilitation research
offers a macroeconomic perspective on how policymakers should
change the environment facing business to promote international trade
and economic growth, whereas the microeconomic perspective of
supply-chain logistics considers how a business should organize its
operations given the policy environment. Four approaches to tradefacilitation research that are oriented toward measuring the policy
environment facing business are covered in this review: country
benchmarking, country or product case study, deep econometric
analysis of one type of trade facilitation and econometric analysis of
multiple trade-facilitation issues faced by businesses across multiple
countries. All told, the research shows that the links between improved
trade-facilitation policies and business global sourcing through
international trade are positive, although which policy reforms support
more global sourcing is unique to each country, depending on the
products and supply chains that the country is part of, and initial
conditions. Even so, a key finding that spans the research is that
unilateral policy reforms within a country can expand international
trade more than multilateral trade negotiations, and that tradefacilitation reforms tend to improve the country's supplier position more

than its buyer activities. Moreover, adherence to International

Organization for Standardization (ISO) and use of information
technology are particularly important, confirming that ISO certification
has become the price of admission for many supply chains.

14. The Geography of Global Supply Chains: Evidence from Third-Party

Logistic, July 2012.
Author: Jean-Paul Rodrigue
In this paper they suggest that global supply chains have a
distinct geography that involves the dimensions of production, distribution
and consumption. This geography, at the heart of many sourcing strategies,
is often neglected by supply chain managers, or at least scholars
investigating supply chain management. However, this essay underlines that
this geography reveals patterns that depict well the organization and
structure of outsourcing with distribution systems supporting the dichotomy

between the geography of production and consumption. Significant

segments of supply chain management exist solely to support this spatial
divergence. Global processes are also reflected in regional structures and the
case of third party logistics providers is investigated. Depending on the
gateway and the type of supply chain being serviced, North American 3PLs
display a clustering that is particularly prevalent around airport terminals
and crossborder ports of entry. Such firms are highly flexible and changes in
the locational behavior are likely to reflect changes in outsourcing and supply
chain management.

15. Linking Supply Chain Management Superiority to Multifaceted Firm

Financial Performance July 2012
Authors: Bertie M. Greer and Peter Theuri
In this paper they suggest that research has shown that superior
supply chain effectiveness can yield enhanced firm financial
performance. However, existing research does not use a consistent
definition or a comprehensive list of supply chain leader firms. Using
matched sample comparison, this study investigates the robustness of
the relationship between supply chain effectiveness and the overall
financial health of firms viewed as supply chain leaders by using AMR's
supply chain top 25 list. We hypothesize that firms that have been

identified by AMR as supply chain leaders will be more financially

healthy than non-supply chain leaders. That is, they will have better
cost, activity, and liquidity ratios. The findings indicate that firms
identified as supply chain leaders outperform their non-supply chain
leader peers in accounting-based activity, cost, and liquidity measures.