Absorbing uncertainty within supply chains

Alain Spalanzani and Karine Evrard Samuel

International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 2007, vol. 2, issue 4, 441-458

Abstract: One of the main challenges companies are facing today is how to deal with uncertainty in operations management, particularly in the case of downstream markets. Models of this struggle have evolved over time, and their design has undergone considerable transformation. This article aims to provide a conceptual framework for better understanding how firms struggle with uncertainty in the supply chain context. By exploring different models and theories, the results indicate that collaboration between the trading partners of a supply chain becomes a necessary way to improve results in the relationships upstream, as well as downstream. Theories such as transaction cost theory, structuration theory or gift theory provide different vantage points that lead to the revisiting of traditional approaches to interorganisational collaboration.

Keywords: uncertainty; supply chain management; SCM; collaboration; interorganisational relationships; supply chain cooperation; supply chain collaboration; transaction cost theory; structuration theory; gift theory; productivity; quality management. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=13337 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ids:ijpqma:v:2:y:2007:i:4:p:441-458

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management from Inderscience Enterprises Ltd
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sarah Parker ().