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Logistics
Theory Building
-- Gyöngyi
Kovács and Karen M Spens
Building
theory can be thought of as a never-ending journey. Theory
building is particularly important to disciplines that are
emerging and growing. Compared to older and more established
academic disciplines, logistics does not have a rich heritage
of theory development. This paper aims to construct a framework
that combines different research paradigms with research
approaches for logistics theory building. This framework
can be used for positioning studies that aim at building
and articulating core logistics theories. The framework
is illustrated by providing examples from logistics research
adhering to different research paradigms (positivism, scientific
realism and interpretivism) and using different research
approaches (deduction, induction, and abduction). The paper
discusses how these different research paradigms and research
approaches contribute to theory building in their own way.
©
2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Lot
Sizing Decision: A Case Study of an Indian Dairy Supply
Chain
-- Manoj Kumar
This
paper deals with developing a mathematical optimization
approach of lot sizing decision for coordination of multiple
milk collection centers, milk plant and multiple milk booths
in an Indian dairy supply chain. The paper also provides
the network structure with Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities
and Threats (SWOT) analysis of an Indian dairy supply chain.
It is based on some important practical considerations,
such as total cost of ownership associated with the milk
collection centers, milk plant and milk booths, ordering,
inventory, net price, delivery, quality and information
processing. The total cost of ownership quantifies all costs
related to the coordinating milk collection centers, milk
plant and milk booths. It is based on the activities and
cost drivers determined by an activity-based costing system.
The proposed model has been validated by means of sample
data for a dairy supply chain situated in Northern India.
Three cases are discussed: Case 1: When the milk collection
centers and milk booths cooperate and agree to the joint
optimal lot size for minimizing the total cost of supply
chain; Case 2: The milk collection centers force optimal
lot size on the milk booths, which minimizes the dairy farm
costs disregarding the milk booth costs; and Case 3: The
milk booths force optimal lot size on the milk collection
centers, which minimizes the milk booth costs disregarding
the dairy farm costs. The effects of changes in model parameters
are explored and the realistic strategy arising out of the
same has also been provided.
©
2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Developing
a Cost Analysis Model for the Optimization of Milk Collection
Process at Dinshaw's: A Study
--
Nidhi Mulik
Cost
Analysis Model (CAM) aims to determine the optimum level
of milk procurement to ensure minimum profit. If the available
milk equals or exceeds this optimum level, only then the
route under consideration should be used. The objective
is the optimization of the milk collection process so as
to bring down the transportation cost as well as the total
overhead. A study was done on Dinshaw's at Nagpur to develop
the CAM.
©
2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
A
Framework for Assessment of Supply-Related Risk in Supply
Chain
-- Kunal K Ganguly
and Kalyan K Guin
The
purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of
the supply side risk assessment in the supply chain and
present a framework for measurement. Managing supply chain
is very difficult, since various sources of uncertainty
and complex interrelationships between various entities
exist in the supply chain. There has been a growing emphasis
in business on outsourcing activities. The decision to outsource,
however, has inherent risk. It becomes imperative to understand
the characteristics of supply chain risks. A literature
review was conducted on key risk assessment models in supply
chain and measurement issues. Various dimensions of supply
chain risk were explored. This was followed by exploratory
interviews at different levels. Based on the insights gained
through them, a conceptual model for assessment of supply
side risk is presented. This paper advocates a fuzzy decision
methodology that provides for an alternative framework to
handle supply chain uncertainty, while there is a lack of
certainty in data or even lack of available historical data.
The assessment of risk in supply side in the supply chain
is an attempt to address the relatively less explored area.
The framework will be beneficial to researchers and practicing
managers in identification of risk parameters and improvement
of reliability in the supply chain. This paper explores
research in the less explored area and offers practical
help to researchers and practitioners in providing a direction
for reducing uncertainty in the supply chain.
©
2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
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