International Journal of Integrated Supply Management (7 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• Safety stock management in a two-stage supply chain with controllable lead time and batch shipments: A technical note  
  by Davide Castellano, Christoph Glock, Bibhas Chandra Giri, Massimo Bertolini 
  Abstract: The joint economic lot size (JELS) model with stochastic demand and controllable lead time has received quite some attention in the literature. If a lot is shipped in batches from the vendor to the buyer, subsequent shipments may be subject to different lead times. Establishing a common safety stock for all batch shipments may lead to an inflated stockout risk for early batch shipments and an unnecessarily high inventory level for late batch shipments. To alleviate this shortcoming, a few authors proposed JELS models that adjust the safety stock level over the course of the inventory cycle. Existing works, however, do not always correctly establish the relationship between the vendor’s and the buyer’s inventory. This technical note adjusts the relationship between the buyer’s and the vendor’s inventory and numerically quantifies the error’s impact on the expected average inventory as well as on the system’s expected total cost.
  Keywords: integrated inventory model; joint economic lot size; JELS; variable lead time; safety stock; backorder price discount; stochastic demand.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJISM.2024.10058389
   
  
• Supply chain interdependence: A systematic review of the empirical evidence  
  by Dong-Young Kim, Bruce Fortado, Subhas C. Misra 
  Abstract: The purpose of this study is to review findings of existing empirical studies on interdependence published between 1991 and 2022. We conducted a systematic review of 36 supply chain interdependence studies to identify categories, frequencies, and themes. We found that supply chain interdependence can have a positive, negative, or no effect on practices and performance. Fifty-three percent of our studies found positive effects of interdependence on practices and performance. Eight percent of our studies found negative effects of interdependence on practices and performance. This study offers suggestions for future research on supply chain interdependence.
  Keywords: supply chain; dependence; collaboration; performance; power.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJISM.2024.10058654
   
  
• Integrated Multi-Product, Multi-Level Supply Chain Inventory Model with Joint Replenishment and Loss Sharing  
  by Firudin Sultanov, Parviz Hasanov 
  Abstract: The size and frequency of orders placed by buyers affect the inventory replenishment policies of upstream supply chain members as well. Cooperation among supply chain parties plays a paramount role in improving the performance of inventory control and designing a cost-effective supply chain. This study develops an integrated inventory model for a three-tiered supply chain comprising of multiple suppliers delivering multiple products to a single manufacturer. Our paper makes the following contributions to the literature. First, a grouping method is proposed to handle cost and order calculation for multiple products. Second, we evaluate the total relevant cost for both the system and the supply chain members by employing a joint economic lot sizing model under various coordination scenarios. Finally, we propose a loss-sharing mechanism to compensate supply chain members who are worse off due to coordination. We use real data of an electronic device manufacturing company in extensive numerical studies and provide managerial implications.
  Keywords: supply chain management; joint replenishment; economic lot-sizing; loss sharing; integrated inventory; joint economic lot size.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJISM.2024.10059150
   
  
• Disruptions due to COVID-19 - the ultimate stress test for supply chain managers  
  by Cees J. Gelderman, Janjaap Semeijn, Sierd Feenstra 
  Abstract: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies were struggling to maintain an uninterrupted flow of goods and services. Based on expert interviews, we investigate the effectiveness of various solutions and strategies to counter different supply chain disruptions. At the beginning of the pandemic, proactive measures such as stock buffering and dual sourcing proved to be useful in case of upstream disruptions (supply shortages), due to closure or reduced production or distribution. A counterintuitive finding is that reactive measures appear more effective than proactive measures in case of downstream disruptions (demand spikes), due to sudden shifts of demand. Based on our findings we propose several research propositions.
  Keywords: COVID-19 response; supply chain disruptions; resilience; supply chain strategy.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJISM.2023.10055720
   
  
• An ISM approach for the barrier analysis in implementing Industry 4.0 practices: Egyptian enterprises  
  by Sahar Elbarky, Sarah Elgamal 
  Abstract: The aim of this research is to identify and model critical barriers to Industry 4.0 technology practices as a tool for sustainable supply chain in Egyptian enterprises. The opinions and perceptions of 159 enterprises' managers were surveyed, in which 18 critical barriers were identified using the questionnaire. By applying the ISM tool, the ranks and the degree of influence of each barrier for each technique of industry were achieved. It was observed that cost and lack of financial resources and fund programs always comes in the first rank, which means it is the most influencing barrier among all other barriers. The main implication of this research is providing a roadmap to decision-makers to facilitate Industry 4.0 implementation in a number of ways in Egyptian SMEs in various sectors.
  Keywords: Industry 4.0; sustainable supply chain; barriers; ISM approach.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJISM.2023.10056914
   
  
• Ethics in purchasing and supply management - a literature review  
  by Gyöngyi Vörösmarty 
  Abstract: The moral challenges that arise in relation to procurement have long been addressed in the literature. These challenges vary from time to time depending on the economic situation, geographical location, and cultural context. It is therefore important to examine how such challenges and their interpretations have changed. The aim of this paper is to review the literature on ethics published since the turn of the millennium. The review covers 102 papers from Scopus. The results show that in recent years there has been significant change in the topics (a shift away from classical ethical issues towards social responsibility and sustainability), and in the geographical location of research (typically the USA and Europe but increasingly also Asia and Africa). Although recent research has responded to changes in legislation and local issues, there is a lack of research on the impact of COVID and of supply chain disruption.
  Keywords: ethical purchasing; sustainable supply; socially responsible sourcing.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJISM.2023.10057349
   
  
• Measuring supply chain visibility in disruptive technology era: scale development and validation  
  by Özden Özkanlısoy, Füsun Bulutlar 
  Abstract: The concept of supply chain visibility has enabled many critical contributions to supply chains such as coping with crises more easily, better assessing risks in disruptions, enhancing flexibility and performance, constituting more resilient supply chains and ensuring sustainability. Therefore, it is acknowledged as a dynamic capability that vitally affects the success of supply chain management in the disruptive technology era. The aim of this paper is to make a tremendous contribution to the relevant literature by developing and validating a measurement instrument in this field. It deals with the structure in a more comprehensive way and in line with its theoretical framework, unlike extant measurement tools. Accordingly, the paper was performed in six steps, and the sample size consisted of 48 firms for the pilot study and 484 firms for the main study. Therefore, a nine-item and single-factor scale has been developed and validated. The paper ends with an evaluation of the findings.
  Keywords: supply chain management; SCM; supply chain visibility; SCV; scale development; validation; supply chain visibility scale; SCVS.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJISM.2023.10057432