FAST BREAKING PAPERS - 2008

Why do you think you paper is highly cited?

This paper serves two useful purposes. First, it summarizes and categorizes the research on supply chain management (SCM) that has appeared in the journal Production and Operations Management. This is a useful service for researchers and practitioners alike as it makes it easier to identify existing research that may be pertinent to one’s current project.

However, the larger contribution of this work is that it reviews literature from a wider array of journals on several emerging areas within the larger body of SCM research. Specifically, we provide review and discussion of emerging topics including: supply-chain coordination using information sharing and contracts; the coordination of online and offline procurement and distribution; product design for postponement and product variety; and operational hedging and risk management in supply chains.

We discuss both published and working papers in an effort to stimulate thought and research in these critical areas of our field. The fact that the paper is cited frequently apparently reflects the fact that we’ve "struck a nerve" in that the areas which we perceive as being ripe for new research are of particular interest within the field.

Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or synthesis of knowledge?

This particular work does provide a synthesis of knowledge in the sense that it brings together ideas expressed in works from a wide range of operations management, industrial engineering, and management science journals in an effort to expose gaps in the existing literature.

Would you summarize the significance of your paper in layman’s terms?

Again, the primary significance of this work is that it highlights areas of SCM research where the existing body of work has fallen short of providing practitioners and researchers what they seek in the way of insights and ideas. Traditionally, operations management researchers have been unquestionably brilliant in their handling of concrete issues such as optimal inventory levels to balance risks and costs. On the other hand, the modern operations manager now finds himself in a world full of more complex problems. He now needs to consider the behavior of agents outside of his view and control. He also needs to manage increased globalization in the face of risks that are multi-dimensional to a degree absent in earlier times. We discuss a few of these issues and hopefully, highlight a few ideas that may lead to more profound research in the near future.

How did you become involved in this research, and were there any problems along the way?

Originally, this work was the idea of the managing editor of the Production and Operations Management Journal, Kalyan Singhal. He invited this review of works in the SCM area from the journal that he founded. Unfortunately, to that point the volume of work in this area within that journal was surprisingly sparse. We identified this as an opportunity to expand on the original mission to attempt to offer some observations about the leading edge and the future of the field that will hopefully stimulate more work.

Where do you see your research leading in the future?

We are each currently involved in several new works that deal with the topics raised in this review piece. The works that we currently have under review include several papers which deal with optimal contracting within supply chains that involve outsourcing, information sharing, and coordination. We also have works under review which deal with the economics of approaches to sourcing that take advantage of electronic capabilities such as e-catalogues, e-RFP’s (Electronic Requests for Proposals), and reverse auctions for procurement of raw materials and goods. Other works that we currently have under review focus on operational hedging within a global context. These works typically combine tools from both the Economics and Operations Research literature including Game Theory, Real Options Analysis, and Dynamic Programming.

Do you foresee any social or political implications for your research?

Again, this review piece was meant to stimulate ideas and works in emerging areas of SCM. While it is not reasonable to say that social or political changes will stem directly from a review and idea-piece, there is no question that emerging works which deal with the issues that we raise will have a dramatic effect on the world over time. SCM involving healthcare and global aid will be quite important. Other issues involving response to supply chain disruptions such as natural disasters and armed conflicts will also certainly be quite important. We only hope that we will have contributed to these discussions in some small way through this modest work.

Panos Kouvelis
Emerson Distinguished Professor of Operations and Manufacturing Management
John M. Olin School of Business
Washington University
St. Louis, MO, USA

Chester Chambers
Assistant Professor
Edwin L. Cox School of Business
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX, USA

Haiyan Wang
John M. Olin School of Business
Washington University
St. Louis, MO, USA