|
Supply
Chain Management Practices in Indian Manufacturing Companies: A Study
--
Rajkumar Ohdar and Pradip Kumar Ray
Despite
the extensive research carried out in the area of Supply Chain Management (SCM)
worldwide, SCM concepts have not yet been very well-adopted in developing countries
like India. This paper assesses the present status and scope of SCM practices
through an extensive survey conducted among the Indian manufacturing companies.
In this survey, the first of its kind in India, opinions of Indian manufacturers
from across the country have been sought. A number of issues such as role of Information
Technology (IT), areas of IT application, benefits of employing SCM, supply chain
performance measures, issues hindering SCM practices, common barriers in SCM implementation,
and government policies promoting SCM practices have been addressed in the context
of the Indian manufacturing companies. The paper presents a detailed statistical
analysis of the survey responses indicating the usefulness of the survey results
to the companies contemplating implementation of SCM practices in near future.
The findings of the survey also suggest several directions of research in SCM,
including outsourcing decisions or supplier selection, and determination of important
performance measures for the development of a comprehensive performance measurement
system. ©
2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Impact
of IT on B2B Relationships in India: An
Empirical Analysis
-- Anand
Agrawal
This
paper explores the ways in which the communication tools influence the management
of Business-to-Business (B2B) relationships. The result suggests that both the
buyers and suppliers use Information Technology (IT) for business relationships
but suppliers adopt IT more quickly than buyers. The growth in IT as yet, does
not seem to have affected the management of relationships much. However, in the
future, it may replace older methods of communication. Managers, therefore, need
to be aware of the effect of IT on the nature of communication. ©
2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Optimism
to Realism: Strengthening the Indian Agri Supply Chain
--
Vinit Mutha
Even
though India is a country of great heterogeneity in terms of biology, its share
in world trade is staggeringly low at a meager 1%. Moreover, its population outpaces
its total food production, thereby importing of food products and putting the
nation on a "Malthusian Trajectory". This paper underlines the need
to understand and find out a solution to the paradoxes that are chronically affecting
the Indian agriculture. This paper emphasizes the importance of post-harvest activities
in meeting the consumption requirements, and also in helping the producer to get
maximum output thereof. It talks about the problems that are deep-rooted, such
as lack of modern warehousing and storage, poor handling and packaging, technology
handicap, local exploitation, and suggests that superficial curative measures
are of little help. Finally, the paper recommends framing of second generation
policies and programs like private and institutional participation, integration
of agro-processing, private marketing infrastructure, dissemination of correct
price information, use of media and e-Choupal operations to uplift the sagging
fortunes of the Indian agriculture. ©
2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Financial
Supply Chain Management
-- A Lakshminarasimha
and Jyothi G Rao
The
article proposes the use of Financial Supply Chain Management(FSCM) solution to
enable the Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) to effectively manage their receivables
and payables; forecast their company's financial future; and reduce their working
capital needs. The article introduces the basic concepts of supply chain management
and proposes the benefits of optimization of FSCM; deals with the integration
of Physical Supply Chain Management (PSCM) and the FSCM; and discusses the possible
limitations of FSCM.
©2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Process
Management: A Vital Cog in the Value Chain Wheel
-- Priya
Kamineni and Rajeev Kamineni
Process
management in today's `value added' society has come to play a crucial role in
an organization's strategic planning and operations. As process management includes
every phase in a corporation's operations, from research and development to procurement
of materials right through to distribution and delivery to market, its scope is
broad. This research paper examines Li & Fung's strengths in process management
and its use of Knowledge, Technology and Relationship Management to achieve its
underlying success. This flagship of process management is chosen to illustrate
how effective process management helps achieve a competitive edge and contributes
to profitable gains to all member stakeholders. Li & Fung have proved to be
world leaders not only in fashion manufacturing coordination but also in value
adding at every step of the way. ©
2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved.
Virtual
Supply Chains: The Case of a Spanish Construction Company
-- Josep Capó-Vicedo, José V Tomás-Miquel and M Expósito-Langa
The
construction sector differs to a large extent from other productive industries.
Here, supply chains are specifically configured for every construction project,
where each participant is specialized in particular activities based on core competencies.
Nowadays, the market is forcing the setting up of Virtual Enterprises (VE) with
a customer-oriented policy to facilitate the management, and to improve the efficiency
of the construction project. Based on this context, the paper analyzes the case
of a Spanish construction Small and Medium Enterprise (SME), which acts as the
broker of the VE corresponding to each construction project. The paper examines
the characteristics of this enterprise, the advantages for the customer, the difficulties
of its creation, which occurs through the necessity of a cultural change in customers
and suppliers, as well as the processes established to solve them. ©
2006 IUP . All Rights Reserved. | 
