ABSTRACT
PurposeResearch on the "black box” of cognitive capital remains limited in supply chain resilience (SCRES) literature. Drawing from an in-depth single case study of a major consumer electronics multinational facing the COVID-19 disruption, this paper aims to develop a clearer picture of cognitive capital's elements while contextualizing how they interact with SCRES temporal capabilities to prepare, respond, recover and learn.Design/methodology/approachConsisting of 40 in-depth interviews collected during a four-month period, this single case revolves around the buyer's view across 36 multiregional buyer–supplier dyads, spanning 17 product and service categories. Data were processed during the pandemic, while findings discuss pre- and intra-crisis events based on two scenarios: the impact of disruption on category demand, comparing sudden pandemic-driven product and service demand fluctuations (i.e. increase, decrease);and the geographical proximity of the supplier relative to the buying firm.FindingsThe case unveils different elements of cognitive capital (e.g. shared goals, assumptions, values, kinesics language, multilingualism, virtual negotiation, prior disruption experience, shared process capabilities) during a major global disruption, suggesting that different cognitive capital elements influence positively and differently SCRES' temporal capabilities. Overall, buying firms are urged to build on cognitive capital to improve SCRES preparation, response, recovery and learning.Originality/valueThis paper extends the understanding of cognitive capital in buyer–supplier relationships by identifying its elements and offering a theoretical articulation of how they enable episodically the four SCRES temporal capabilities under contingencies of increased and decreased demands, and suppliers' geographical proximity.
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PurposeThis study aims to explore the challenges in implementing and sustaining lean in garment supplier factories and the buyer-supplier role in mitigating lean barriers in a typical situation and pandemic. Design/methodology/approachFollowing a qualitative research approach and multiple embedded case study method, data were collected through in-depth interviews with senior managers of one lead buyer and their four key garment supplier factories in Bangladesh. Within and cross-case analysis, techniques were applied to understand the context-oriented lean challenges and buyer-supplier role in mitigating the challenges. FindingsThe study findings demonstrate that garment suppliers are less prepared and unsystematic in lean implementation having limited capabilities and less preparation. Moreover, they have limited support from buyers, less commitment from top management and employee resistance to implementing lean. Lean challenges become more intense because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, buyer-supplier responsible, cooperative and collaborative behaviour can mitigate lean challenges. Research limitations/implicationsWhereas many stakeholders may be responsible for lean challenges, this study explores dyadic role between buyer and supplier only based on a single lead buyer and their four suppliers. Hence future studies could consider more buyers and suppliers for a holistic understanding. Practical implicationsThis study could help buyers and suppliers understand the underlying causes of lean implementation challenges in garment supplier factories and their role in sustaining lean reducing the challenges, particularly in a pandemic. Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, for the first time, this study depicts how buyer and supplier can play their due roles to mitigate lean challenges in garment supplier factories in a pandemic situation.
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Purpose>This paper explores innovation adoption in inter-organizational healthcare networks. The authors develop theoretical speculations to investigate better the role of artificial intelligence (AI) as an innovative tool to improve buyer-supplier relationships, creating better performance outcomes.Design/methodology/approach>The research is based on a theoretical investigation aiming at exploring the role of AI-based solutions for managing buyer-supplier relationships. The conceptual approach allows us to identify some research streams (e.g. co-working collaborations in supply chain management) by proposing a matrix that helps clarify the analysis's directions.Findings>The results show the importance of AI that can help the operator in accessing supplier information, including current prices, available stocks, and delivery status, thereby reducing the risk of information asymmetry. AI is intended not only as a technology tool but also as an innovative solution to promote business relationships and support vertical alliances through the value chain between buyer and supplier.Originality/value>This paper can help healthcare actors examine the choices behind their operational strategies by providing transparency of the activities and availability of information in real-time. Finally, our study reflects the future directions to enhance the cooperation and innovation adoption among healthcare operators.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a slew of new business practices that have put the society and environment under strain. This has drawn the attention of supply chain researchers working to address the COVID-19 pandemic's looming social sustainability issues. Prior literature has indicated that collaborative relationships improve organizational performance. Over the past years, problems related to justice are reported (e.g., between Walmart Canada and the Lego group), which might negatively affect the buyer-supplier relationship. In the new normal, the effect of justice on collaborative buyer-supplier relationships on social sustainability in the COVID-19 context is obviously essential but under-explored. The current study examines buyer-supplier collaborative relationships' influence on social sustainability under the moderating effect of justice and big data analytical intelligence. In this paper, we employ the stakeholder resource-based view, loose coupling theory, and resource dependency theory as the theoretical lens to establish the research hypotheses. Using primary survey data collected from supply chain practitioners in South Africa, hypothesis testing is done using a covariance-based structural equation modelling technique. To enhance research rigor, we have checked the dyadic perspectives of both buyers and suppliers. Our empirical results reveal that collaborative buyer-supplier relationships positively influence supplier social sustainability in the new normal era. However, it is relatively stronger from the suppliers' perspective when compared with the buyers' perspective. Secondly, the moderating effect of perceptions of organizational justice and big data analytical intelligence on the relationship between collaborative buyer-supplier relationships and supplier social sustainability is also statistically significant. However, it is relatively stronger from the buyers' perspective when compared with the suppliers' perspective. These are major findings of this study. Theoretical and managerial implications are further discussed.
ABSTRACT
Purpose Research on the "black box" of cognitive capital remains limited in supply chain resilience (SCRES) literature. Drawing from an in-depth single case study of a major consumer electronics multinational facing the COVID-19 disruption, this paper aims to develop a clearer picture of cognitive capital's elements while contextualizing how they interact with SCRES temporal capabilities to prepare, respond, recover and learn. Design/methodology/approach Consisting of 40 in-depth interviews collected during a four-month period, this single case revolves around the buyer's view across 36 multiregional buyer-supplier dyads, spanning 17 product and service categories. Data were processed during the pandemic, while findings discuss pre- and intra-crisis events based on two scenarios: the impact of disruption on category demand, comparing sudden pandemic-driven product and service demand fluctuations (i.e. increase, decrease);and the geographical proximity of the supplier relative to the buying firm. Findings The case unveils different elements of cognitive capital (e.g. shared goals, assumptions, values, kinesics language, multilingualism, virtual negotiation, prior disruption experience, shared process capabilities) during a major global disruption, suggesting that different cognitive capital elements influence positively and differently SCRES' temporal capabilities. Overall, buying firms are urged to build on cognitive capital to improve SCRES preparation, response, recovery and learning. Originality/value This paper extends the understanding of cognitive capital in buyer-supplier relationships by identifying its elements and offering a theoretical articulation of how they enable episodically the four SCRES temporal capabilities under contingencies of increased and decreased demands, and suppliers' geographical proximity.
ABSTRACT
Supply chain disruptions negatively impact the economy and individual organizations. However, as many companies recover from disruptions (COVID-19 being a recent example), less attention has been paid to how these events impact business-to-business (B2B) relationships characteristic of supply chains. Drawing on justice theory, we examine how the suppliers' management of the recovery process affects behavioral reactions in the context of supply chain relationships. This study empirically examines the role that partners' recovery process, honesty, effort, availability, and outcome fairness play in influencing satisfaction, future business volumes, and word-of-mouth. Using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression to test survey data, results indicate that how recovery processes are managed positively affects satisfaction, reduces the likelihood of future business loss, and affects the propensity to communicate negatively about a relationship partner. Unexpectedly, outcome fairness (distributive justice) has a significant positive impact on negative word-of-mouth, indicating that increased perceptions of distributive justice actually increase negative behavioral outcomes in certain settings. We conduct exploratory post hoc serial mediation analysis to further examine this finding and uncover a potential extension to the boundaries of a justice lens. These post hoc results, which generally confirm the OLS results, drive opportunity for better understanding of complaining behavior and navigating the tricky environment associated with managing B2B relationships in a post-disruption environment.