Abstract

Purpose The accounts receivable pool (ARP) is an e-invoice management system that provides suppliers with easy access to financial service. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the strength and weakness of ARP mechanism and suggest efficient methods to identify creditworthy borrowers. Design/methodology/approach By decomposing the sales records of 348 ARP borrowers and predicting the occurrence of overdue incidences, this study first portrays the creditworthy borrowers by sales features. Then, content analysis was applied to measure the loadings of soft and hard information, and examined the effectiveness of different information structures in creditworthiness assessment. Findings For ARP borrowers, upward trend and low volatility reveal their creditworthiness. In order to identify creditworthy borrowers beforehand, ARP financiers who have elaborated more soft information and less hard information can perform better. Originality/value This study first discussed ARP finance from a critical perspective and underlines borrower assessment to eliminate the defect of loose recourse. The empirical evidence presents the sales features of creditworthy borrowers. Moreover, the results suggest an efficient approach for ARP financiers to conduct better assessment.

Keyword

Information structure ;  Accounts receivable pool finance ;  Sales information

Abstract

怡亚通是一家在供应链服务领域摸爬滚打多年的企业，凭借对供应链大刀阔斧的改革与持之以恒的创新试验，怡亚通的体系越发展越庞大，涵盖的业务也越来越繁多。它致力于打造一条完善的端到端供应链，并将每个供应链环节发散为独立的垂直业务子平台，使得自身升级为“平台的平台”。 本案例将聚焦怡亚通在发展过程中所直面的三个关键问题：第一，怡亚通如何通过技术对传统供应链服务进行改造？第二，如何进行供应链整合与服务创新？这些供应链整合与创新如何为客户创造价值？第三，怡亚通的服务生态系统庞大全面，如何管理这些星罗棋布的子平台使其保持形散而神不散？如何进行不同业务模块的协调，保持庞大体系的灵活性？通过以上问题，本案例展示了怡亚通供应链服务创新实践的详细步骤，引导学员理解传统供应链服务模式转型升级的策略、工具、挑战及解决方案。

Keyword

供应链服务商 ;  供应链生态圈 ;  商业模式创新 ;  平台

Abstract

本案例由（A）（B）两个子案例构成，聚焦物流行业与大数据相关的决策优化、服务创新与商业模式。案例（A）属于“站在现在看过去”的描述型案例，主要讲述第四方物流服务平台——易流科技在过去12年的主要历程：先是通过各类软硬件技术手段实现公路运输各环节的物理数据透明和业务数据透明，做“业务数据化”；然后通过对不同维度的物流大数据的分析和应用，向平台上的货主企业、物流企业、承运商/车队、司机等群体提供用户画像、智能调度和配载、路径优化、物流金融等创新服务，做“数据业务化”。 案例（B）属于“站在现在看将来”的决策型案例，主要讲述在物流行业转型升级的时代背景与菜鸟网络战略投资易流科技的发展机遇面前，易流科技如何进一步通过技术手段与物流大数据为物流生态中的更多参与方设计创新的服务？面对案例中提出的四个可能的发展方向，易流科技应该如何选择，如何实施？

Keyword

商业模式 ;  大数据与商业智能 ;  物流透明 ;  生态圈 ;  第四方物流

Abstract

本案例由（A）（B）两个子案例构成，聚焦物流行业与大数据相关的决策优化、服务创新与商业模式。案例（A）属于“站在现在看过去”的描述型案例，主要讲述第四方物流服务平台——易流科技在过去12年的主要历程：先是通过各类软硬件技术手段实现公路运输各环节的物理数据透明和业务数据透明，做“业务数据化”；然后通过对不同维度的物流大数据的分析和应用，向平台上的货主企业、物流企业、承运商/车队、司机等群体提供用户画像、智能调度和配载、路径优化、物流金融等创新服务，做“数据业务化”。 案例（B）属于“站在现在看将来”的决策型案例，主要讲述在物流行业转型升级的时代背景与菜鸟网络战略投资易流科技的发展机遇面前，易流科技如何进一步通过技术手段与物流大数据为物流生态中的更多参与方设计创新的服务？面对案例中提出的四个可能的发展方向，易流科技应该如何选择，如何实施？

Keyword

商业模式 ;  大数据与商业智能 ;  物流透明 ;  生态圈 ;  第四方物流

Abstract

Contradictory findings on the relationship between proactive environmental strategy and performance are reported in the existing literature. The way that proactive environmental strategy is defined, the omission of crucial mediating variables and the misfit between strategy and business structures may help explain these conflicting findings. Drawing upon the logic of strategy-action-performance, this study tests the effects of two implementation variables of proactive environmental strategy-green human resource management (GHRM) and environmental legitimacy (EL)-on environmental performance as well as the mediating roles played by the implementation of green operational practices (GOP). Further, based on contingency theory, this study proposes that the impacts of GHRM and EL on the implementation of GOP might be moderated by operational barriers (OR) and managerial barriers (MB). The proposed hypotheses are empirically tested using a dataset of 260 sample plants in 11 countries/regions (Finland, Sweden, Germany, Taiwan, Israel, Mainland China, Spain, Brazil, Italy, South Korea and Japan). The results show that the effect of GHRM on environmental performance is fully mediated by the implementation of GOP (the path coefficient b for the direct link between GHRM and environmental performance changes from 0.436, p < 0.001 to 0.180, p > 0.1). EL has no statistically significant direct or indirect effects on environmental performance (direct effect: b = -0.08, p > 0.1, indirect effect: b = 0.083, p > 0.1) but has a marginally significant effect on the implementation of GOP (b = 0.218, p < 0.1). The results also indicate that OB reduce the effectiveness of EL in facilitating the implementation of GOP (b = -0.103, p < 0.1), and MB reduce the effectiveness of GHRM in supporting the implementation of GOP (b = -0.11, p < 0.1). (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keyword

Barriers ;  Environmental legitimacy ;  Environmental performance ;  Green human resource management ;  Green operational practices ;  Proactive environmental strategy

Abstract

Purpose-Following resource-based view, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of three intra-organizational structural elements on supply chain integration (SCI). Design/methodology/approach-Based on data collected from ten countries, this study employs the structural equation modeling method to test the proposed model. Findings-The results demonstrate that teamwork culture is positively related to three dimensions of SCI. Organizational commitment has positive effects on internal and customer integration (CI), whereas it has no significant effect on supplier integration (SI). Human goodness is only positively related to internal integration, but has no significant effect on SI or CI. Originality/value-This study contributes to both structural elements literature and SCI enabler literature by operationalizing three human-related components of structural elements and empirically investigating relationships between intra-organizational structural elements and SCI.

Keyword

Abstract

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects that customer structured and unstructured information sharing (IS) can have on customer operational and strategic coordination and on supply chain performance (SCP). In addition, the study examines how customer IS influences customer coordination under various levels of demand uncertainty (DU). Design/methodology/approach-The conceptual model for this study is designed on the basis of information-processing theory (IPT). Using data collected from 622 manufacturers in mainland China and Taiwan, the theoretical model is tested using the structural equation modeling method. Findings-The authors find that both customer structured IS and unstructured IS are positively associated with customer strategic coordination. Customer structured IS increases customer operational coordination, but customer unstructured IS does not. DU positively moderates the relations between customer unstructured IS and strategic coordination, and between customer structured IS and operational coordination. Also, DU negatively moderates the relationship between customer structured IS and strategic coordination. Customer strategic coordination is positively related to SCP and to operational coordination. Customer operational coordination has no significant impact on SCP. Originality/value-This study deepens our understanding of customer IS by distinguishing between customer structured and unstructured IS. The study also provides a greater understanding of customer coordination by making a distinction between the customer strategic and the operational coordination. The findings extend the empirical application of IPT. In addition, this study's findings direct SC managers to apply varied customer IS practices that can enhance specific kinds of customer coordination activities, thereby enabling improved SCP.

Keyword

Supply chain performance ;  Demand uncertainty ;  Customer coordination ;  Customer information sharing

Abstract

This study attempts to identify the variations in the transaction-specific investments made in logistics outsourcing relationships and explore how such variations are related to outsourcing cooperation. Based on the assumption that the vendor and the client always make some level of investment in outsourcing relationships, we develop a cluster model that illustrates four situations that indicate varying levels of vendor-specific investment and client-specific investment. We use data from client firms in logistics outsourcing relationships from China to test the theorised configurations through cluster analysis. The results validate our proposed matrix of specific investments and confirm that systematic configurations of the investment taxonomy and corresponding cooperation behaviours of information sharing, joint action, opportunism and conflict exist in each situation.

Keyword

Transaction-specific investment ;  information sharing ;  joint action ;  opportunism ;  conflict ;  logistics outsourcing relationships ;  Research paper

Abstract

Purpose Despite touting the value of green practices, many firms struggle to respond appropriately to the diverse environmental issues. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the external and internal pressures interplay to influence top management championship, which, in turn, fosters the company's green culture and the adoption of green practices. It thus helps to explain Chinese firms' diversity with respect to the adoption of green practices. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual model is developed that summarizes the interplay of external and internal pressures, top management championship, green culture and the adoption of green practices. Data from 148 Chinese manufacturing firms were collected and a structural equation model was used for statistical analysis. Findings Government policy that provides incentives to adopt green practices and overseas customers' green demand has significant positive influences on top management championship, while resources pressure has a significant negative effect. Government command and control policy, domestic customers' green demand and organizational inertia do not impact top management championship. Furthermore, top management championship is positively correlated to both green culture and green practices, and green culture contributes to implementing green practices. Practical implications The findings help us understand which external and internal factors inspire or force top management to adopt green practices, and how they do so. Moreover, managers must also be aware of the bridging role of green culture. The findings will be valuable to policy makers in forming and enforcing stick or carrot environmental policies. Originality/value Leveraging a multi-theoretic approach, the authors' research builds on insights from the institutional theory, natural resource-based view (NRBV) and upper echelons perspective, so as to increase the authors' understanding on how firms adopt green practices to respond to environmental sustainability pressures. The institutional theory and the NRBV are leveraged in this study to recognize that firms perceive not only external institutional pressure for environmental management but also the internal pressure from resource constraints and capability to change. Upper echelons perspective is integrated into this study to explain the leadership role that top management serves in the management of the organization's response to dynamic changes in the institutional environment and cultivate green culture within organization.

Keyword

Green practices ;  Green culture ;  Institutional pressure ;  Internal pressure ;  Top management championship

Abstract

Supply chain quality management has received increasing attention from researchers and practitioners in recent years. However, the knowledge about the effects of a manufacturer's design and production capabilities on supply chain quality management is limited. In this study, we propose a model to investigate the effects of mass customization and product modularity on supply chain quality integration (i.e. internal, supplier, and customer quality integration) and the impact of supply chain quality integration on competitive performance. We use data collected from 317 global manufacturers to empirically test the conceptual model. The results show that mass customization and product modularity directly improve internal quality integration, and product modularity also improves internal quality integration indirectly through mass customization. Product modularity improves supplier quality integration directly, and both mass customization and product modularity improve supplier quality integration indirectly through internal quality integration. Mass customization improves customer quality integration both directly and indirectly through internal quality integration, and product modularity improves customer quality integration indirectly through mass customization and internal quality integration. We also find that supplier quality integration directly enhances competitive performance, and internal quality integration enhances competitive performance both directly and indirectly through supplier quality integration. Our findings contribute to production and quality management literature and practices.

Keyword

Competitive performance ;  Mass customization ;  Product modularity ;  Supply chain quality integration