An investigation of inter-firm linkages in supply networks

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An investigation of inter-firm linkages in supply
networks

• Fiachra Coll
• Supervisor- Umit S. Bititci
• Sponsor- DAKS Simpson

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Overview

• 1. Context
• 2. Gaps in research
• 3. Research approach
• 4. Contribution
• 5. Conclusion

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1. Context

• The supply chain is an integrating philosophy to
  manage the total flow of distribution channel
  from the supplier to the ultimate
  customer (Ellram Cooper 93)
• Supply chains, not firms, compete (Monczka
  Morgan 97)
• but also supply chain management is in danger
  of collapsing into a discredited management fad
  unless a more reliable conceptual basis is
  developed (New 96)

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1. Context

• Supply chains, supply networks, value chain
  systems, demand pipelines, extended organisation-
  all examples of industrial networks.
• The supply network is a fundamental concept in
  any manufacturing context involving multiple
  firms, logistics, transaction costs and
  inter-firm co-ordination
• It incorporates concepts and ideas from a variety
  of traditional research areas- multidisciplinary

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2. Recognised gaps in contemporary research

• Do supply networks and chains exist outside
  theory? Difficult to illustrate collective
  benefit using standard modes of enquiry
• Purposive nature of existing research inhibits
  cross-concept comparisons
• Disparate theories from a variety of disciplines
• Failure to distinguish between prescriptive and
  descriptive approaches to functioning of supply
  network
• Evolution or revolution in the field of
  inter-firm relationships and logistics?

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3. Research approach

• Purpose-
• Ascertain that the supply network perspective is
  valid in improving a companys competitive
  advantage
• In the absence of any acceptable model, an
  approach is created to investigate firms in
  supply networks

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3. Research approach
Define archetype
Supply network data
Describe individual system
Purpose
Verify network clusters against typologies
Existing typologies
Draw con- clusions
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3. Define archetype

• archetype- the original model or pattern
• Network structure- boundary, number of
  elements,flows, transformations......
• Behavioural rules- market economics, production
  economics, resource based theory...
• Co-ordination mechanisms- linking-pin roles,
  hierarchy and authority relations, planning and
  control systems.....

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3. Supply network data

• Boundary established by assessing criticality of
  firm in terms of components (limited to
  transaction items)
• Questions are both quantitative and qualitative,
  relating to the firm (and its perception of
  itself) in relation to the supply network
• The questions address the firm on four levels-
  internal, dyadic, chain and system

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3. Compare clustered data...

• An investigation of firms engaged in supply
  networks in a variety of industries
• Use of configuration theory in organisational
  analysis- to find coherent patterns in an array
  of attributes
• Dual approach- the comparison of suggested
  patterns (from existing typologies) against
  individual supply network data

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4. Research contribution

• Taxonomy and typologies form prelude to grounded
  further empirical research
• The archetype underlying the taxonomy will
  import supply network concepts from other
  theories, enabling
• structured comparison
• the process of fitting real supply chain
  scenarios to verified topologies, assessing the
  degree of company fit

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4. Industrial contribution

• The resulting typologies can be used as templates
  for companies wishing to configure themselves for
  the appropriate supply network
• A longitudinal study will be implemented in DAKS
  Simpson to assess the efficacy of the method
  over time

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5. Conclusions

• Burgeoning research area as yet indistinct from
  precursors
• The need to formalise and structure existing
  concepts as yet unrealised
• Created a sound research basis for enquiry

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