Monthly Archives: February 2010

Methods in SCM research

Posted on February 16, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Two topics are all-time bestsellers in academia: theories, and methods. After the series on different theories in the Journal of Supply Chain Management, now a number of CFPs target the question of methods in SCM research. Decision Support Systems is running an issue on the recent advances in data, text, and media mining: techniques and applications (deadline Mar 15, 2010), and the International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management calls for papers on qualitative research in logistics and supply chain management (deadline Aug 31, 2010). Most interestingly, different methods for conducting literature reviews are also taken up in the CFP on building theory in SCM through systematic reviews of the literature that Supply Chain Management: an International Journal has issued (deadline May 28, 2010). Looking forward to some bestselling articles as well :-)

Gyöngyi

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Posted in Academic journals, Call for papers, Research methods, Supply Chain Management

Radical change for green logistics

Posted on February 10, 2010 by | Leave a comment

How do you induce radical change in green logistics? The discussion easily drifts into one of policy, taxes and transport, but what are the effects on systems and supply chains? Green logistics may require a redefinition of delivery service requirements based on the idea of reducing inventory costs and rather, introduce longer lead times etc. The question is not only whether industry is up for it, but is academia ready to go down that road? An award goes to the first SCM textbook that embraces this idea and implements it through all concepts and chapters – the new Green Logistics book perhaps :-)

Árni and Gyöngyi seeking a new paradigm at a green logistics workshop

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Posted in Carbon management, Socks and sandals, Sustainability

Event-based supply chain disruptions: the Chinese New Year 2010

Posted on February 7, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Incidentally, the Chinese New Year 2010 starts on Valentine’s Day. The latter is an annual (and predictable!) peak in flower and chocolate demand, the former a source of disruption in any shipment that goes through ports where the Chinese New Year is celebrated (as to say, also Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia… and for a notable 15 days). Already now, there are uncountable vessels stationed out of the port of Singapore, waiting to be attended. Logistics service providers moan about long lead times and supply chains getting longer. Then again, isn’t this another of those events that are predictably occurring every year?

Gyöngyi

Happy Year of the Tiger, everyone!

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Posted in Socks and sandals, Supply Chain Management

International Journal of Logistics: Research and Applications in ISI

Posted on February 2, 2010 by | 1 Comment

Good news, the International Journal of Logistics: Research and Applications (IJL:RA or IJoL, whichever abbreviation you prefer) has been accepted onto the Social Sciences Citation Index of the ISI. Its first impact factor should be published in June 2011. It’s just to hope that more SCM journals get included soon – a number of them are currently being evaluated.

The next question is of course what their impact factor would be, and how this will affect journal rankings, publication points you get for articles in different journals, the ABS ranking system…

Gyöngyi

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Posted in Academic journals, Journal ranking, Logistics, Supply Chain Management

Supply chain metaphors II

Posted on February 2, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Following up on supply chain metaphors, here’s the same question but different answers. Here are some nice ones:

A supply chain is “a zipper, is something doesn’t go where it should, nothing works…” (Catja Laxén)

A supply chain is like “water running down a spider’s web: there is a complicated network of companies (hubs) and relationships between them (threads) and goods are flowing on the threads like water drops in a web. The water drops meet at some points and continue through the web, meeting other drops and growing, until it reaches the lower points of the web where in reality the end consumers would be.” (Isabell Mattsson)

Certainly enough, I asked for metaphors for “supply chain”, not “SCM” – any new suggestions for the latter?

Gyöngyi

PS Thanks for the contributions!

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Posted in Socks and sandals, supply chain, Supply Chain Management