Marcadores Moleculares
5.3 Marcadores Bioquímicos
Derocher and Kilpatrick (2000) identified five factors needed for successful supply chain management in a competitive market: information systems, an integrated organisation, partnerships, system chain strategies, and performance measurement. Power et al. (2001) also identified the seven critical factors needed for agile SCs to become more responsive to the needs of customers: a participative management style, computer-based technology (e.g. computer aid design (CAD), electronic data interchange (EDI) and computer integrated manufacturing (CIM)), resource management, continuous improvement enablers (e.g. total quality management (TQM), flexible manufacturing cells (FMC) and value adding management (VAM)), supplier relations, just-in-time (JIT) methodology and technology utilisation. In particular, JIT, TQM and customer relations are principles to enhance global competitiveness (Tan et al., 1999). Managing long-term relationships with partners using cross-functional teams is becoming a common practice in supply chains (Chen and Paulraj, 2004). Chen and Paulraj (2004) argued that expertise is required from various functions
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within and outside a firm in order to address a wide range of product and process related problems (e.g. cross functional teams, supplier involvement and customer focus).
The information and communication technologies provide the means by which supply chain partners can distribute and share the real time information needed for effective decision making (Tummala et al., 2006). Ranganathan et al. (2004) identified eight factors needed for successful supply chain management in terms of web technology: supplier interdependence, competitive intensity, IT activity intensity, managerial IT knowledge, centralization of the IT unit structure, formalisation of the IT unit structure, assimilation, and diffusion. In addition, Ngai et al. (2004) have demonstrated that communication (e.g. trustful relationship with partners, collaboration and information sharing), commitment of top management, data security, training and education and hard/software reliability are critical factors needed to manage the supply chain network efficiently. Tummala et al. (2006) also identified building customer-supplier relationships, implementing information and communications technology (e.g. enterprise resource planning(ERP), manufacturing resource planning (MRP), distribution resource planning (DRP), electronic funds transfer (EFT) and worldwide web (www)), re-engineering material flows, creating a corporate culture, and identifying performance measurements as five important strategic success factors that need to be focused on in developing and implementing supply chain management (SCM) strategies.
2.7. CHAPTER SUMMARY
The main focus of this chapter was to provide a review of the literature on the concepts of product variety and customisation and to demonstrate how variety has been shown to impact on business function performance. Based on the literature review, supply chain performance factors including supply chain flexibility, supply chain agility, cost efficiency, customer
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service and business performance factors are identified as key factors which may be affected either directly or indirectly by product management strategies to mitigate the negative impact of product variety. The chapter also reviewed strategies and contributions to manage product variety. First, process-based, product-based and postponement strategies were reviewed. Then matching strategies, partnerships with suppliers, close customer relationships, competitive capabilities and supply chain success factors to support the management of product variety were reviewed. Each of these key factors was reviewed with the aim of identifying gaps and limitations in the literature.
Previous studies have investigated, in a single functional area or industry, the impact of product variety on different business functions (MacDuffie et al., 1996; Fisher and Ittner, 1999; Randall and Ulrich, 2001; Thonemann and Bradley, 2002; Benjaafar et al., 2004; Hu et al., 2008). These studies do not cover the overall and relative impact of product variety on business function performance. In particular, non-cost positive impacts such as the utilisation of standardised parts, postponement, outsourcing, customer satisfaction, market share and competitive advantages have not been investigated in comparison with negative impact, such as cost and complexity, that resulted from variety increases. In addition, studies reported in the operations and supply chain literature have suggested theoretical frameworks to support the management of product variety in supply chains (Ulrich et al, 1998; Thonemann and Bradley, 2002; Ramdas, 2003; Blecker and Abdelkafi, 2006) and focus on a single strategy to manage product variety (Nair, 2005; Davila and Wouters, 2007; Ramdas and Randall, 2008; Yadav et al., 2011). Empirical studies to address relations between the level of customisation and performance related to variety issues, have also rarely been conducted.
Threfore, relevant variety-related issues are to be addressed by presenting research hypotheses in the next chapter (Chapter 3). These are expressed in terms of the degree of
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impact of product variety on business function performance, supply chain design to mange variety impact on supply chain performance, and differences in variety-related strategies / supply chain performance according to the level of customisation.
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CHAPTER THREE
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND HYPOTHESES
DEVELOPMENT
3.1. INTRODUCTION
This chapter begins by describing the development of the study’s conceptual framework against a theoretical background and proposed research model. The conceptual framework of the study is comprised of four parts: 1) the business function performance impact associated with an increase in product variety, 2) the supply chain design to support the management of product variety increases (i.e. the relative relationship between a variety control strategy and supply chain performance), 3) variety-related strategy and supply chain performance differences that depend on the level of customisation and 4) a comparison between the UK and Korea.
“A hypothesis is a logically conjectured relationship between two or more variables expressed in the form of a testable statement” (Forza, 2002). Hypotheses should be developed
to answer research questions and support the achievement of research objectives. In this research, twenty three hypotheses are proposed concerning the impact of product variety, and the appropriateness of strategy to manage the impact of product variety on the supply chain performance according to the level of product customisation offered. The theoretical rationale of the hypotheses is explained in this chapter.
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